


To Bind Together

by thisismylife



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Martial Arts, Teacher Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), muay thai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-03-21
Packaged: 2018-01-07 04:29:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1115513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisismylife/pseuds/thisismylife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi owns a Muay Thai studio in a rough part of town, everything was going fine until some brat got into a fight with a couple Rose Thugs right outside his studio. This little brat was about to change everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there Ao3 readers! I'm really excited but also nervous to share this WOP with you all. This is the first fanfic I've written in a couple of years and it's also the first SNK fic I've written.
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful best friend for being my beta for this work! I'm not giving a time table as to when I'll be uploading since I'm still in the process of reorganizing my life after graduating university, but I'll try to post on a pretty regular basis!
> 
> And with that…here is the first chapter! It's very short but for the flow of the story it made more sense to end the chapter where it ends.
> 
> Enjoy!

~~ Chapter One ~~

Kids; he hated kids. Alright, not exactly hated them, he did move back to New York City to open a Muay Thai studio to teach _kids_ after all. But not this kind of kid. The kind of kid who was so messed up in his own shit that his life would end him up in jail, not a national circuit as a fighter. And yet somehow, Levi found himself getting in the middle of a fight just to save this dumb brat. _What the hell?_

Levi had found him down a side alley that sat along his own studio. The poor kid’s arms were being held behind his back by some other big guy who could’ve been at least twenty. Another boy, a very specific tattoo decorating his right forearm, was throwing some good punches at the kid’s stomach. 

Just as Levi was about to intervene into the fight, _for god knows why_ , the kid broke free from his captors and landed a few good punches to his face before either of his attackers knew what was happening. Stunned, Levi slowed his walk and watched for a moment as the kid quickly got the upper hand in the fight, stumbling and bleeding though he was. 

One choice kick from the big guy however, had the poor kid on the ground wheezing to catch a breath.

The big guy smirked, clearly pleased at his hit and went to kick the kid while he was down but his foot never made contact. He found himself on the ground, hitting with a loud thud, before he could have even had the conscious thought that some little man had come up and threw him right over unto the ground. A heavy boot sat on his windpipe; dark eyes stared down at him with annoyance and slight disinterest. 

“Get your ass away from my studio. I don’t handle bullies well.” Levi’s voice was cool and even, no evidence that throwing the big guy over himself had caused him any exertion. Before Levi could even consider taking his boot off the guy under him, he felt a cool blade to his throat.

“Let him go.” The voice of the other attacker was commanding, but the slight shake of it told Levi all he needed to know.

With a slight sigh Levi stepped away, ignoring the gasping and coughing, and turned to face the tattooed guy now holding a knife to his face. “You really don’t want to play this game kid.”

“You don’t know who I work for, do you?” Levi took the chance to look over the kid- and that’s exactly what he was. He couldn’t have been more than 16 years old. Glancing at the tattoo on the kid’s forearm, Levi gave a slight nod. “I don’t think _you_ understand who you’re working for, kid.”

“Don’t call me a kid!” His voice shook more then, his hand visibly shaking as it held the knife closer to Levi’s face.

Alright, he had had enough of this shit. With a quick movement of his arms, Levi held the knife in his hand. The kid looked scared, _good._ “Now, get the hell away from this area of town and I better not catch you here again or I’ll call the cops instead of taking care of you myself.”

The kid seemed to think about his options before his friend made a grunting noise from behind Levi. Levi glanced over his shoulder and saw the man get up off the ground and nod his head in the other direction. The kid obviously knew better than to argue with the muscle man.

“You’ll be seeing us again.”

Levi snorted at the kid’s attempt at sounding threatening but didn’t say anything as they walked away. It wasn’t until he heard a moan from behind him did Levi remember the whole reason he was in this goddamn situation.

The kid was laying on his back, still taking in ragged breaths with blood dripping from a nice sized gash on his forehead.

Levi knelt down beside him and set a gentle hand on his chest. The kid made a sudden jump, and gasping tried to scramble away.

Levi’s hand became stronger on the kid’s chest to hold him still, “Hey, calm down. I’m not the one who was trying to bust your head open.” His voice was calm, but stern in the hopes that it would break through to the kid.

It must have worked because he relaxed back onto the pavement, breathing heavy and short. “Where the hell did you come from?” His voice was rough and Christ if Levi didn’t have the fleeting thought that it was attractive, before he mentally kicked himself and tried to lift that kid into a seated position. A few grunts of pain later and he was sitting against the wall of the neighboring building.

“You’re welcome, kid.” Levi grunted when he made sure the kid wasn’t going to pass out.

“Eren….my name is Eren.” He said as he leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes.

Levi nodded his head in recognition. “Well Eren, I think we need to get you cleaned up.” Eren opened his eyes and cast their bright green light onto Levi at his words. Levi looked back at him, making a point to stare right back into his eyes. “And then you’re going to explain to me what two Rose Thugs were doing by my studio.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren goes into Levi's studio to get cleaned up and is not prepared for the overbearing attraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter two!! I think I'm going to try to stick to a Monday update schedule, but I'll keep you guys posted on that!  
> I've already started chapter 3 since I'm trying to stay ahead so hopefully I won't get behind! I have no idea where this vic is really going, just kind of letting Eren and Levi lead the way!
> 
> xx

~~ 

As Levi unlocked his studio, Eren waited behind him trying to figure out how the hell he had gotten into this situation. It’s not like he made it a habit to let older men save him from a fight he totally had control over. Well, he would have had control over it after he had caught his breath from that kick. 

He sighed and looked up at Levi’s back as he pushed the heavy looking metal door open and the immediate thought that came to Eren’s mind was _damn, he has a nice ass_. The second thought was _oh shit, not the best time_. No way in hell was he going to find the annoying little man who had “rescued” him- as Levi called it- attractive. Nope. Not going to help the situation. He ran a hand through his hair as he followed Levi into the studio. 

Eren hadn’t been in many kickboxing studios- _mauy thai_ studio, as Levi corrected him- but he was rather impressed with the blue and white studio that surrounded him. Multiple bags hung from the ceiling in different places around the perimintor of the large room; a raised ring sat in the center with a large spot light over it; free weights sat on the left wall beside a number of other weight lifting equipment items- things that Eren couldn’t even begin to know the name of. 

The deep voice that Eren had a sinking feeling was going to become familiar to him broke him from his train of thought, “You done staring?” 

Eren turned his head to look at the black haired man who had just recued him from a number of likely broken ribs- if Eren was willing to admit that, which he wasn’t, not out loud anyway- and damn it all to hell if that man didn’t look too fucking attractive as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. “Sorry, never been in a studio like this before.” 

A flash of surprise shone in Levi’s eyes, it was replaced quickly by the indifference that Eren was beginning to bet was Levi’s norm. “I would have assumed you had been trained, seeing you fight the way you did.” Levi glanced at him, a small smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Until you lost anyway.” 

_Oh hell no_ . Eren’s brows furrowed and he would have puffed his chest out if it didn’t hurt to take such a big breath. “I did not _lose_. I just needed to catch my breath.” Even Eren knew that he didn’t sound very convincing as he said it, but damned if was going to let this annoying and slightly good-looking man know that. 

A snort escaped Levi as he grabbed the first aid kit off the wall- clearly Levi didn’t believe Eren either. “Sure kid. You just let yourself believe that while I make sure you don’t have a concussion from that nicely aimed kick to your skull.” 

Levi sat down, straddling a bench that sat near the ring. Eren stood there with his arms crossed for a moment longer, admiring Levi’s thighs in his dark jeans as the material was pulled taut. When Levi glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow, Eren sighed while shaking his head before he sat down across from Levi. He was beginning to think that he could use another kick to the head to get these thoughts out of his head, now was so not the time to find the man who could easily kick his ass attractive. 

He rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes as he sat down across from Levi and couldn’t help but to watch Levi’s hands as they studiously took out cleaning instruments and cotton pads. He clearly knew what he was doing with his hands. _Fuck, Jeager. Get a hold of yourself._

When Levi’s hands moved from the bench towards Eren’s face, Eren followed them and ended up meeting Levi’s gaze. Their eyes stayed locked on each other for longer than they probably should have, but for some reason it didn’t feel awkward. He could have spent hours staring into those gray-blue eyes and never have had to look away. _Christ. This wasn’t going as planned_. He had decided to let this stranger check his head, he wasn’t supposed to find this man attractive and want to get into his pants. _Fuck_. 

Levi cleared his throat and glanced at his hands again. When he looked back up his eyes were clear of any emotion that may have been there before. 

Eren got a thrill of satisfaction however when Levi took a deep breath before he gently moved Eren’s hair out of his face. 

“This is going to sting a bit.” His voice sounded softer than it had just a few minutes ago. Had it really only been a few minutes since they got into the studio? Eren swore that it felt like a lot longer than that. 

“Ow!” Eren jumped back and raised his own hand to his forehead, now feeling like it may just be on fire. 

Levi rolled his eyes and put his hand on Eren’s chin, pulling his head back towards him. “I warned you it might sting.” 

Eren tried to focus on the pain and ignore the feeling of Levi’s hand on his chin. He was failing miserably. “That doesn’t sting, it feels like it’s burning my skin off!” He hoped his voice sounded stronger than he felt. 

“You’re exaggerating, stop acting like a baby.” Even though Levi’s words were harsh, he was more gently this time as he padded Eren’s forehead with the disinfectant. Eren watched Levi’s face as he focused on cleaning Eren’s head, his eye full of a focus that Eren was pretty sure he had never seen in his life. He found himself wondering if Levi showed that much focus to everything he did in his life. _And now you’re in way over your head. Get a fucking grip!_

When Levi was confident that the wound was clean enough, he put a gauze pad over it and taped it carefully in place. 

Eren watched as Levi took his hands into his and began to disinfect the cuts on his knuckles. “Well you don’t need stiches, but I wouldn’t go running around for a couple of days.” The pain wasn’t even that bad this time, not when Levi had his hands in his. 

It was over too soon for Eren’s liking, before he knew it Levi had let go of his hands and began to put the first aid kit back together. Eren had the sudden urge to grab Levi’s hand back into his. _What the hell…where are these urges coming from?_ Sure, Levi was incredibly attractive but Eren had seen a number of very attractive men in his young life but none of them had ever made him feel like this before. So out of control of his own mind. 

Eren was so caught up in his own thoughts, that he didn’t even notice when Levi stood up and put the first aid kit away until he was standing beside the bench again. He looked up into Levi’s cool eyes, eyebrows rising into his bangs. “What?” 

“Lay down, I want to look at your ribs.” 

_What did he say?_ Eren’s mind was going into many different scenarios until Levi snapped his fingers in front of Eren’s face. “You spacing out or something? Maybe you should lie down…” 

Eren shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his palms for a moment to try and erase the images playing in his mind. _Get a hold of yourself_. With a quick breath he laid down on the bench. A wince of pain brought him back to reality pretty quickly. Maybe his ribs were hurt more than he thought. 

Just as quick as the pain had hit him, Levi was kneeling at his side with a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Alright easy…just try to breathe evenly. I want to make sure nothing’s broken.” 

As Levi’s cool hands reached under Eren’s shirt, breathing evenly was a lost cause. _Christ. Eren you are so done for_. If it wasn’t for the sharp pains as Levi’s fingers expertly ran across his ribs, Eren might be finding himself in a more embarrassing predicament than he already was. 

To try and distract himself from the feeling of Levi’s hands running along his chest, Eren looked at Levi’s face. That may have been the second worst mistake he had made this whole damned night, he just couldn’t decide if it fell before or after getting into that argument with the Rose Thugs. 

Levi looked so focused, his brows furrowed and his bottom lip pulled between his teeth. His cool eyes looked so soft and kind, the coldness and indifference that had been there not long before was completely gone and Eren couldn’t even image his eyes looking any different than they did now. 

“Eren…” 

It took a moment for Eren to realize that Levi was looking back at him now, his eyes boring into his with an intensity that hadn’t been there before. Eren suddenly felt like squirming under Levi’s gaze. “Anything broken…?” He asked in a hushed voice, for some reason his vocal chords were no longer working. 

As if in slow motion, Levi’s other hand gently brushed Eren’s hair away from his face. A small smile creeping up on his lips, “No…” the hand on Eren’s chest flexed, “…not in here anyway…” 

The flash of pain in Levi’s eyes was too much for Eren. What would feel like hours later, Eren would be kicking himself trying to figure out what the hell he had been thinking and what the hell he had just done. He may be a pretty messed up person, but he had never acted so suddenly on an attraction. But it didn’t matter. All he knew was that he had to make that fleeting pain he saw in Levi’s eyes disappear forever. 

He grabbed Levi’s head and their lips collided. If Levi was shocked by Eren’s sudden actions, he didn’t stay shocked for long. Levi’s hand moved up on Eren’s chest and touched the side of his neck. When Eren asked for entrance into Levi’s mouth, his lips opened with no hesitation and Eren fought back a moan that he didn’t even know wanted to come out. _How long can you kiss before you have to breathe?_

Kisses with other guys didn’t even compare to this. Eren could have stayed there with Levi’s lips on him forever, but a sudden pain in his chest made that possibility disappear quickly. Levi’s hand on Eren’s neck had moved back downwards and suddenly had more weight put onto it than before, making Eren break the kiss with a sharp grunt of paint. 

Levi’s hand immediately jumped back, but Eren grabbed Levi’s wrist just as it began to pull away from his chest. _No, don’t stop touching me…_ Eren thought he heard a quiet apology from Levi, but their panting breaths made it hard to hear anything except the rapid beating of his heart. Eren even wondered if Levi could hear his heart it was pounding so god damn hard. 

Eren had no idea how long they stayed there like that, with their foreheads only inches from each other and Levi’s wrist still wrapped in Eren’s grip. “I should probably take you home now…” Levi’s voice sounded as strained as Eren’s throat felt. Eren was suddenly overcome by a fear that he had just made a horrible mistake. He just met this man but the idea that he could have offended him was too much. 

A smile tugged at the corners of Levi’s lips, “…don’t want you getting yourself into more trouble tonight…” The laugh threatening to overtake his words made the knot in Eren’s stomach instantly disappear. How had this man gotten into his heart so damn quickly? 

“Yeah…home is probably a good idea.” If he stayed any longer, Eren wasn’t going to be held accountable for his actions. 

As Levi stood up, he pulled Eren up with him. His wrist still held rather tightly in Eren’s grasp. Eren wheezed as he was brought to his feet so quickly, the pain in his chest was a little worse than before. _Or maybe that’s just from the damn rapid beating of your fucking heart._

He was so caught up in his own head, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, that Eren never noticed Levi take his wrist out of Eren’s hand. He was standing by the door again, a set of car keys in his hand. 

“Come on brat, let’s not waste all night.” His voice was back to the harsher tone it had earlier, but the warmth that had appeared in Levi’s eyes as he had been tending to Eren’s chest was still there. 

As they walked out of the building and Levi locked the door, Levi’s next words made Eren cringe and contemplate how far he could run with bruised ribs. 

“While we drive, you can tell me what the hell that fight was about.” 

_Well fuck_ . 

~~ 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren realizes he should probably pay more attention to his sister's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fix might end up being longer than I had originally thought it would be, since things are moving slower than I thought they would.
> 
> Anyway, THANK YOU for the bookmarks and kudos!! They mean the world :)
> 
> xx

Once Eren had told Levi his address, Levi punched the numbers into his phone’s GPS and they set off. Levi was quiet at first, which was completely welcomed from Eren as he was currently trying to figure out what the hell he had just done. He went from actually trying to get _out_ of trouble for once to getting his ass handed to him to kissing an exceptionally hot man and finally to wanting to do much more than just kiss said hot man. 

Today couldn’t possibly get worse. 

“Alright brat, time for you to explain to me why two gang members were contemplating killing you.” 

_Fuck. Way to go Jeager_ . 

Eren shrugged, choosing to look out the window rather than at Levi’s face. He was fairly certain he would either start blushing like a stupid teenager- even though he was one- or end up spilling his guts at one look from Levi. “It was just a misunderstanding. No big deal.” 

Levi snorted and Eren could imagine the glare he was probably sending the back of Eren’s head. “Somehow I doubt that. Rose Thugs don’t usually come into this part of town unless they have a reason to.” The car pulled to a stop at a red light and Eren saw Levi look at him from the corner of his eye. “So why don’t you tell me the truth. I did just save your ass and be your nurse.” 

Eren folded his arms over his chest, wincing but ignore the pain. “I didn’t ask you to be my nurse…” He did realize he probably looked and sounded like an annoying kid. 

“Stop acting like a child.” Yupp, apparently he did. Levi started driving again when the light turned green, the rev of his Chevy Camaro was felt all the way up Eren’s spine. “Taking into consideration the fight I found you in and that kiss...” Eren glanced at him then, Levi looking at him from the corner of his eyes, “…acting like a child isn’t very convincing.” 

Shrugging again, Eren unfolded his arms and looked out the windshield. “I’ve never done something like that.” 

“What are you talking about, brat? The fight?” 

Eren could wish. He snorted, “No. That’s pretty normal…I meant the kiss. I don’t make it a habit to pounce on any attractive guy I see.” 

He took the chance the looked at Levi. His eyes were focused on the road, the grip he had on the wheel relaxed. His mouth opened to speak but he shut it again. With a sigh he said, “Yeah, well I don’t make it a habit to kiss kids. So lets just leave it at that.” 

“I’m not a kid. I’m seventeen.” _Wow Eren, could you possibly have sounded more childish?_

Levi smirked, “Right, you sound so grown up.” 

They drove in silence from there, the GPS telling Levi that their destination was right around the corner. Eren had contemplated giving Levi the wrong address but decided he didn’t feel like getting into another fight because he had to walk a block or two. 

When Levi pulled up to the old run down apartment building, Eren tried not to look at his expression. Levi owned a fucking Camaro for fuck’s sake. It’s not that Eren was an incredibly prideful person, but he wasn’t exactly happy about living in a shit one-bedroom apartment with his sister either. 

He reached for the door handle, not meeting Levi’s eyes. “Thanks for the ride…” Levi grabbed his arm as he started to inch out of the car and he inwardly cursed. With a sigh he looked back at Levi. 

Levi’s eyes had that intensity in them again, and combined with the strong grip he had on Eren’s arm, Eren would have rather gotten into another fight with a Rose Thug. “Come to my studio tomorrow.” Eren was pretty sure that was meant to be taken as a command, not as a question. 

“Why should I? I don’t exactly belong there.” He pulled his arm out of Levi’s grasp as it slackened. “Do I owe you now or something?” 

Levi smirked- a dangerous combination with the look in his eyes. “I still want to know what those thugs were doing by my studio, and you’ll tell me.” 

Eren snorted and got out of the car, shutting his door even as Levi rolled the window down. Eren leaned on the open window and tried to make the look on his face look annoyed. He wasn’t sure if he was succeeding. “How do you know I’ll tell you?” He looked right into Levi’s eyes and damn it if that smirk wasn’t incredibly sexy. 

Levi’s eyes shone, “Because you will. See you tomorrow.” 

Eren stood there as Levi’s car rounded the corner and probably for the hundredth time that night swore, “Fuck…what the hell did I get myself into?” 

~ 

As he pushed the door open to the apartment, he could hear music coming from the bedroom. _Great, Mikasa’s still up._ As he shut the door and locked it, his insides were already preparing themselves for the fight that he knew was about to come barreling down the hallway. 

“Eren? Is that you?” 

Due to the fact that Mikasa hadn’t left her room yet, Eren felt safe enough to roll his eyes. _No shit it’s me…who else has a key to our apartment_? That may be what he wanted to say, but due to the headache that had only gotten worse since Levi drove away, Eren didn’t feel like starting the fight this time. “Yeah, it’s me.” 

Just as he set his keys on the counter in the kitchen, Mikasa walked out of her room and looked at him. Eren could literally see her thought process go from casual to- “What the hell did you do this time?” 

Eren sighed as he turned away from her to open the fridge to find something that would likely not be on one of the near empty shelves. “Nothing, just got into it with a few guys. It’s no big deal.” 

He heard her walk over to him and then felt her hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face her. “Nothing huh, that bandage on your head doesn’t look like nothing.” Her tone was harsh, angry, but her fingers were gentle as they touched his head. “How much was the damage this time?” 

He shrugged out of her touch and walked around her to his corner of the living room were a single mattress sat on the floor, “I didn’t go to the hospital.” He flopped down on his bed, hoping Mikasa didn’t hear the pained grunt that escaped his lips as his ribs protested his less than soft landing. 

As she crossed her arms and stood only a couple feet from his bed, he was pretty sure she had heard him. “What do you mean you didn’t go to the hospital? Who bandaged your head then? Did you call Armin? You didn’t walk home did you?” 

Eren groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. “Fuck, could you leave the questions for tomorrow? I have a headache.” He really wasn’t in the mood to get into a fight with Mikasa tonight, not after he had actually done nothing wrong to be in the predicament that he was in. He just wanted to sleep. 

Clearly Mikasa wasn’t in the mood to be so kind. “No, it can not wait until tomorrow! What the hell were you doing out at 1am for, again?” She sighed angrily as she ran a hand over her face, “Christ Eren, you can’t get into any more trouble! You don’t turn eighteen for another two months! If you get caught-“ 

Eren sat up and glared at his sister, “I’m not going to get caught! And believe me or not, but I actually wasn’t doing anything wrong this time! I was trying to GET OUT of trouble.” He watched her as she snorted and shook her head. Of course she didn’t believe him, but then again why should she? Over the past couple of years, Eren hadn’t exactly given her many reasons to believe things he said. He groaned and put his head in his hands, “Can we please just talk about this tomorrow?” 

He was expecting her to yell at him again. He sure as hell wasn’t expecting her to sigh and sit down beside him. He lifted his head and looked over at her- her eyes looked tired, she must have been at work all day and now her idiot brother had to come home with bandages on his hands and head. _Way to go, idiot_. His voice was barely above a whisper when he apologized, his mind battling between feeling guilty and trying not to care. 

Mikasa shook her head, “I accept your apology Eren, but I really don’t want to hear them anymore.” She looked over at him again, moving his hair away from his forehead, “You’re sure you’re okay?” 

He tried to give her a reassuring smile, he really did feel like absolute shit for making her feel upset with him. Again. “Like I said, I’m fine. The guy who found me patched me up, nothing’s broken.” She didn’t look totally convinced, “I’ll be fine by morning.” He added with a bigger smile while highly doubting that he would feel _better_ in the morning. 

With another sigh, something that Eren was beginning to get really tired of hearing, Mikasa stood up form his bed and headed back towards her own. When she got to the edge of the hallway she stopped and looked back at him, her eyes a mix of loss and fear that didn’t help Eren feel less like a shit head. Her brows pulled together after a second, “So who was this guy that helped you?” 

A chuckled escaped his lips as Eren started to take his shoes off, “Just a guy, Mikasa.” Right, like hell he was _just a guy_. 

He could almost feel her smiling at him, “Okay. Sleep well little brother. Come and get me if you need anything?” Her voice was so full of love that Eren’s throat suddenly began to close and he had to clear it before looking over at her. “You got it, I’ll be fine. Goodnight.” He watched her walk into her room and shut the door half way. He waited until her light turned out a few moments later before he sighed and leaned back on his bed. _Christ…he’d really fucked up things hadn’t he?_

Just as he was about to take his jeans off, Eren noticed Mikasa’s gym bag that sat in the corner of the room. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it a number of times before but something caught his eye this time- the logo. It was the same winged blue and white logo that adorned Levi’s studio. 

_Fuck me_ ….Eren was suddenly kicking himself for not paying attention to his sister’s life more closely. 

~~ 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren finally gives in and shows up at the Studio where Levi has been doing a horrible job at trying not to think about the brat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi POV again, I thought I was going to do it every other chapter but some chapters are just better in Eren's head and other's are better in Levi's.
> 
> I don't know anything about muay thai, and I'm not pretending understand it...I've done loads of research and hopefully it'll come out okay in the long run!
> 
> Anyway, sorry I got this up later today, forgot to post it before I went to bed last night!
> 
> Enjoy!

It had been nearly a week and Eren still hadn’t shown up at the studio. Levi wasn’t starting to get annoyed, not at all. Why on earth should he be getting annoyed that some little brat hadn’t come back to his studio like he had asked? That kid seemed to be in way more trouble than he let on and Levi didn’t need to get involved. 

And yet there he stood, waiting for Eren’s sister to finish her session in the ring. She was practicing for a tournament that would take place in a couple of weeks and was worried that her left hook wasn’t nearly as strong as her right. Both Levi and Jean- Levi’s head trainer- had told her not to worry about it; she was strong enough to handle anything thrown at her. But Levi was beginning to notice the stubbornness she had was reminding him of Eren. 

As Mikasa threw hook after hook at the pads on Jean’s arms, Levi sat back on the bench to watch her form. The way she stood reminded him of Eren’s stance back in the alley and Levi wondered if Mikasa had taught him to defend himself or if Eren had just picked up from watching her. Just from that one fight in the alley, Levi knew that Eren held a lot of untrained potential and with a little guidance it would be easy to find Eren in the top spot for tournaments in no time. That was the thought that Levi had in his head when he approached Mikasa a couple of days ago, at least that’s what he kept telling himself. It had nothing to do with the brat troubled life or the _kiss_. 

Levi had noticed while doing some paperwork after the whole ordeal that Mikasa’s address on her file was the same as the one he dropped Eren off at just the night before. He had approached her the next day, asking about him. By the look that crossed her face, she knew about the fight but Eren clearly he hadn’t told her about him. 

“So you’re the one who saved his ass, huh?” She hadn’t said it with any malice in her voice, it came off more annoyed and tired than anything. She had stayed later that day, after the studio had shut down for the night, and spoke to him about Eren- how he had been held back a year and didn’t graduate last year along with her and their friends like he should have, and how he’d been a pain in the ass since their father had walked out on them two years previously. Levi had wanted to know more but didn’t push her when it was clear that she didn’t want to talk to him about it. She had thanked him for saving her “idiot brother’s life” before she left to catch the bus. 

“Do me a favor in return?” He had asked as she opened the door, turning back halfway to look at him with her eyebrows raised. “Get him in here.” 

She had chuckled, a deep sound from her throat, that boarded between actual amusement and total disbelief, “Yeah, don’t hold your breath on that one, sir.” 

Now, as he watched Jean correct her form by a miniscule amount, Levi was beginning to wonder if she had been right. That Eren wouldn’t ever come back to the studio. He was trying to not think about why the thought bothered him so much. 

“Seriously, Mikasa. You’ve got nothing to critique yourself about. Your form is near perfect, you’re the best fighter in the studio.” 

Levi glanced at Jean and could tell how exasperated he was. Although he had accompanied Levi into the circuit, Jean had never been as dedicated as neither Levi had been or as Mikasa was now. He had done it because he loved it, not because he really cared about winning. He tried to distil such thoughts in his students but some, one in particular, just couldn’t listen to the advise. 

“But what if-“ 

“Jean’s right, Mikasa.” Levi interrupted as he stood up next to the ring. He added with a shrug, “You’re ready, there isn’t more to be said than that. Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.” 

The stubbornness in her eyes shone, and Levi could tell she was trying to decide if she wanted to argue or not. Her decision was made for her though when Jean stripped the pads off his arms and climbed out of the ring, muttering something to the extent of needing a drink. The corner of Levi’s lip turned up as he watched his old friend walk back to the lounge. 

Mikasa sighed as she climbed out of the ring, beginning to unwrap the tape around her wrists as she sat on the bench. Levi watched her in silence for a moment before sitting down in front of her, taking her hand in his and taking over where she had stopped, slowly unwinding the tape. 

“I asked him to stop by after school today.” 

Levi’s hands stilled at her words and he glanced up at her, “Did he hear you?” Mikasa knew that he wasn’t asking if she had spoken loud enough. 

She shrugged, a slight roll of her eyes accompanied the movement. “He didn’t flat out ignore me this time, he said he’d think about it.” 

At least he had responded. “Was he going to go to school?” Levi had become incredibly interested in whether Eren went to school or didn’t. The first day he asked Mikasa had questioned him on why he cared. When he said that after saving his ass from a couple of Rose Thugs, he was actually slightly concerned for the brat’s future. She hadn’t questioned him again when he asked the next day. 

She sighed, flexing her wrist that Levi had finished unwrapping. “It seemed like it, he was dressed and had his backpack when I left for work. I mentioned to our friend Armin to pick him up from school and bring him here without giving him an option.” 

Levi snorted but continued to unwrap her other wrist, “Would your friend be able to make Eren do something he didn’t want to do?” 

It was Mikasa’s turn to snort, but the small smile on her lips was kind. “No, but they’re close, have been for a long time. If Armin asked Eren to do something, my idiot brother might actually listen.” A small shrug, “At least he listens to someone.” 

Levi finished unwrapping her wrist but held on for a moment and squeezed it reassuringly, “He listens to you, even if he doesn’t show it.” 

She gave him a small smile and thanked him before standing and grabbing her towel and water bottle off the side of the ring. Just as she turned around she stopped and stared over Levi’s head, mouth slightly agape. “Oh my god…” was all she could say before Levi turned his head to look at what she was staring at. 

Standing in the doorway, looking slightly afraid and like he was trying to figure out why the hell he was there, stood Eren. A slightly shorter blond kid stood beside him, looking slightly out of place in his sweater vest but smiled warmly when his eyes fell on Mikasa. 

_Well I’ll be damned_ . 

~ 

As Levi and Mikasa walked toward the two new comers, Levi noticed a small cut on Eren’s left cheekbone. Levi would have bet money that it hadn’t been there the other night and judging by Mikasa’s reaction, it hadn’t been there this morning either. 

“Christ, what the hell, Eren! What did you do this time? Did the school call me again?” 

Levi stood to the side as Mikasa questioned Eren, impressed both by her mature attitude and Eren’s ability to stand his ground. He had barely even flinched when her voice came out of her mouth a few octaves too high. But as Mikasa yelled at him, Levi noticed Eren’s face go from prepared for the attack, to a boy who desperately wanted to get away. Eren probably wasn’t even aware of the amount of hurt he had written all over his face. 

“It wasn’t my fault…” His voice was small, almost weak, when he tried to speak over Mikasa’s voice. Levi was surprised by how small Eren sounded; a huge difference from the confident boy he met a week ago. 

Instead of yelling more, which Eren was obviously prepared for by the tightness in his shoulders, Mikasa just sighed and turned away. “It’s never your fault.” She said quietly as she walked towards the locker rooms. 

Eren’s face visible fell at her words, making the emotions Levi had been trying to throw away rear their ugly head again. _Damn it_. All he wanted to do was comfort the boy and that had not been a part of the plan. 

“It really wasn’t his fault this time.” Levi looked past Eren to the young blond beside him. Armin, Levi guessed, had a worried expression on his face. Like he was afraid Eren would be in trouble with Levi. “I saw the whole thing. They were picking on some other kid outside of the school grounds. Eren was just trying to stop them.” 

Levi glanced back at Eren who was doing a very good job at studying the patterns on the floorboards. _He’s acting so different from the other day…_ Levi thought as he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “You’re Armin right? Mikasa said you and Eren have been friends for a long time.” 

Blue eyes immediately shone brighter. “Yeah, since we were kids. We don’t see each much now that I go to the college though…” 

Some things were starting to make a little more sense now. “So you graduated last year, with Mikasa?” 

Armin nodded, glancing at Eren who still hadn’t moved. “That’s right.” 

Nodding, Levi turned halfway towards the back office, “Well good, at least he’s got some good friends. Come on, you. We have some things to discuss.” He started walking toward his office then, not even bothering to look if Eren was following or not. He knew he would. “Feel free to look around, Armin. We’ll be out in a little while.” He thought he heard a staggered agreement from Armin, smiling a bit to himself imagining the nerdy blond trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do in a muay thai studio. Let Jean show him the ropes, he did always have a thing for little blondes. 

As Levi held his office door open, a hunched over Eren walked in without a word. His compliancy was really beginning to worry Levi. He hadn’t expected Eren to be so agreeable; or quiet for that matter. Something was certainly up. 

“Aright,” Levi said as he sat down in his desk chair, looking across the space at Eren, “what the hell is going on?” 

Eren, finally for the love of god, looked up. Confusion written all over his face, “What?” 

“You’ve barely said a word since you walked in my damn door. You didn’t even defend yourself against your sister. You’re acting like a moody teenager.” He looked sternly over at Eren, trying to elicit some sort of reaction, “I repeat. What the hell is going on?” 

Being the shitty brat that he was, Eren just shrugged and slumped further into the chair. “Ever think that maybe I am just a moody teenager?” 

Snorting, Levi leaned his arms on his desk. “Actually, I would like to believe that, Eren. But for some reason, I don’t.” Eren’s brows pulled together and he almost sneered at Levi. Now that was more like it. 

With a frustrated grunting sound, Eren sat up and looked directly at Levi. “Why do you care if something is going on? Afraid it’s going to mess up my sister’s training or whatever you call it?” He rolled his eyes, “Well don’t worry about that. My sister could really care less.” 

Levi watched Eren for a moment, knowing that the boy didn’t mean his words and by the look in his eyes he knew that it was far from the truth. “Come off your high horse, brat. Your sister cares a hell of a lot and for another fact, it does mess with her training. She doesn’t think nearly as clearly when she’s worried that you didn’t get your sorry ass to school or not or if you got into another fight.” He made a pointed look at the mark on Eren’s cheek. 

Eren folded his arms over his chest again, looking very much like the moody teenager he so desperately wanted to make Levi believe he was. “Like Armin said, this one wasn’t my fault.” 

“And what about the one the other night? That one wasn’t your fault either?” 

Eren looked up at him, his face contorted with an inner battle that Levi desperately wanted to weasel out of him. “That was different…” 

And clearly, Levi was going to have to pull it out of him. Eren wasn’t going to give the information easily it would seem. “Why? Because they weren’t picking on some other little brat or calling you names?” 

He pursed his lips, muttering a ‘no’ under his breath. 

Levi held his hands in the air wide, “Then what was it, Eren?” His voice came out harsher than he had meant and the flinch Eren’s body made, made Levi want to apologize. He lowered his voice and his hands, sighing he said “Look…I want to help you, Eren. I want to help you get out of whatever trouble you’re in.” 

Eren snorted, leaning his arms on his knees and looking more annoyed at Levi than anything. Man, this kid’s emotions were all over the place. “Why do want to help me so badly? You obviously have to have a reason.” His voice was almost spiteful when he spoke. He smirked suddenly, looking at Levi through his dark brown lashes, “Or do you want to help me because of the kiss?” 

_Oh Christ_ . Levi glared at him and in the most monotone voice he could muster, “Stop being a brat or I’ll smack it out of you.” Levi already knew that if Eren agreed to his plan, he would have to smack some sense into himself before he would ever allow himself to be alone with Eren with more than door between them and other people. 

Eren opened his mouth to speak, the smirk still evident in the curve of his mouth, when Levi brought the conversation back to where he wanted it. “Mikasa told me you’re going to be expelled if you get into trouble again.” 

If Levi had actually reached across the table and smacked Eren over the head, his expression would probably looked less shocked. _So maybe this brat cared about his life after all._ Levi sighed, “Look Eren, obviously whatever trouble you’ve been in or are in is starting to mess things up for you in a number of ways. It’s clear to me, that you need change and fast, or things could go to shit for real.” 

Eren sat in the chair across from him, chewing the inside of his mouth and not making eye contact with Levi. For a few moments, Levi thought Eren wasn’t going to respond and that maybe this really was a lost cause, but then Eren seemed to like to surprise Levi. 

“They want me to work for them.” His voice sounded almost as small as it had when Mikasa had been yelling at him. But Levi was schooled enough in this sort of thing that he noticed something new in his voice as well; fear. 

“What do they want you to do?” _Fuck, this could be worse than I thought_. 

It took Eren a moment to speak again, and this time the disgust in his tone made it obvious to Levi that Eren hated even saying it. “They want me to sell drugs on the Underground…to kids…” 

Out of all of the scenarios running through Levi’s mind, this one wasn’t one of the worst. But judging from the fight…”You said no.” 

Eren nodded and when he looked over at Levi, the fire that had been in his eyes the other night was back. “I said hell no. I may get into shit a lot, but I don’t do drugs and I sure in hell wouldn’t help get them to kids.” He shrugged and looked away again, “I have my issues…but I’m not suicidal.” 

Levi couldn’t stop the slight smile from pulling at the corner of his mouth, “Well, I don’t know about that. You did kiss me.” 

Eren looked up then, a smirk on his own lips. Those freakishly gorgeous young lips. _Fuck Levi…WHY did you say that?_ Levi found himself still looking at those damned lips when Eren spoke, “So how do you plan on helping me?” 

It was Levi’s turn to smirk and he hoped that the slight color on Eren’s cheeks wasn’t from the heat being too high in his office. “Oh, I have some ideas.” 

~ 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi offers Eren a way out of his current downward spiral. Will the kid take it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are staying warm wherever you are at- and if you live in a warm climate...I'm extremely jealous...Anyway! Here's the new chapter! Hope you like it :)

“You want me to WHAT?” Eren couldn’t possibly have heard Levi correctly. He couldn’t stop himself from staring at Levi with his mouth hanging slightly open. What Levi was saying was sounding both crazy- and maybe not half bad- but the smirk he wore was really making Eren want to hit him. 

“I’ve already got it sorted with your school. If you enroll in the Legion Studio, stop getting into trouble on and off school property, don’t miss any more days and get good grades…you can graduate in May. Only a year behind your friends.” Levi sat on the edge of his desk facing Eren, a mere arm’s length away and if Eren wasn’t trying to take in the information that Levi had just stuffed down his throat, he might have been struggling with the urge to touch him. 

“…What do ‘good grades’ mean?” 

Levi snorted, “That’s the thing you choose to focus on?” He rolled his eyes as he resituated himself on his desk. 

Eren lifted his shoulders up in a half shrug, “What? I suck at school. Good grades and me don’t get along.” It’s not that he couldn’t get a B every now and then, but it was flat out impossible for him to get anything higher than a C in math or history, no matter how hard Armin tried to help him. 

“Well, according to the school that means mostly B’s, graduating with a GPA of at least 2.8.” He looked down at Eren, an eyebrow raised. “Apparently, your GPA is somewhere around 1.8 right now, so you have some work to do.” 

Eren groaned and pushed himself further into his chair, desperately wanting to disappear. He was never going to survive this whole ordeal… 

“But, if we’re talking about what kind of grades I want to see…that’s different.” 

Eren glanced at Levi, annoyed at how that smirk could possibly still be on his damn gorgeous face. “What are you talking about…?” His voice filled with suspicion at Levi’s words. 

“Well,” Levi said as he moved back to his chair on the other side of the desk. Did he feel the same that Eren did, that they needed more space between them or neither of them would be responsible for their actions? “If you agree to this plan, you’ll be my new pupil- apprentice if you want to be fancy- so not only will you have to agree to the school’s terms for your further imprisonment, but you’ll have to agree to mine as well.” 

It took all of Eren’s power to not groan loudly again. He seriously wasn’t going to survive this. “What are your terms?” He was afraid to ask, but wanted to just get it over with here and now. Better to know what he’s getting himself into before hand. 

Levi shrugged, “Well, I expect you to have B’s in all of your subjects- bonus points if you get an A-, you’ll come here to the studio every day after school and train until 6:00 when then either your friend Armin can pick you up or I’ll drive you home-“ 

“Wait, seriously?! You can’t even trust me to walk home by myself?” 

The look Levi gave could turn someone to stone. Eren shut up after that. “I’m going to ignore you said something that stupid. Where was I…Oh, right, you’ll get all of your homework done and if I find out you didn’t finish something there will be consequences. Likewise, if I find out you’ve been in any sort of fight whatsoever, outside of this studio, the consequences will be worse.” Levi’s voice had gotten incredibly strong and unwavering, making Eren focus more on what he was saying versus the way Levi’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he spoke. _Focus, Eren. You’re going to be in worse shit if you fuck this up…_

Levi sighed, clearly picking up on Eren’s confusion. “Look brat, the way a lot of us see it, is either you shape up between now and when you turn 18- which is only a couple months away, if I’m correct- or the consequences you face could be a hell of a lot worse than dealing with me on a daily basis.” He leaned closer to Eren over the desk, and Eren was pretty sure he could see concern written on Levi’s face. “Do you understand what I’m talking about?” 

Feeling very much like a scolded child, like he had this entire fucking conversation, Eren nodded. “Yeah, I get it.” He was pretty sure he wouldn’t survive the place that Levi was alluding too either. 

Levi nodded before rising and coming back over to the other side of the desk, leaning back on it right in front of Eren. By the close proximity, Eren was pretty sure his heartbeat quickened because of the conversation, not because Levi’s legs were literally centimeters away from his. 

“So, what will be Eren Jaeger?” 

He looked up at Levi then, suddenly very aware of how much taller Levi was while he sat in the chair. This knowledge made it even harder for Eren to concentrate on what was really important right now. _Well fuck me_ … “I don’t really have much of a choice do I?” 

The slight smirk Levi gave him was his only agreement. With a sigh and whole lot of _what the hell am I getting myself into_ running through his head, Eren nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.” 

~ 

When Eren and Levi walked out of the back of the studio and into the main room, Eren stopped dead in his tracks, making Levi run into his back. 

“Oi, brat. Mind watching where you’re going?” 

Eren heard Levi’s grunt and the words coming out through his teeth, but his attention was currently focused on Armin standing in the ring. He was wearing boxing gloves and hitting pads that were attached to someone’s arms; Mikasa stood to the side of the ring, arms folder over her chest. Eren was momentarily worried that Mikasa was still mad at him, but her facial expression seemed calm enough. 

Levi walked around Eren and smirked at the ring, “Knew Jean would jump at the chance to get a new kid in here…and he has always liked blonds.” 

Eren jumped slightly and glared in Levi’s direction, “What the hell does that mean?” 

The smirk and the playfulness that overtook Levi’s face had Eren battling to ignore the color rising in his cheeks. _Damn it…how does this guy mess with me so easily?_ “I think you know exactly what it means.” Eren tried to glare at Levi’s back as he walked towards the ring, but he had a sinking impression that his glare wasn’t nearly as icy as he hoped it was. 

When Eren joined Levi and Mikasa at the side of the ring, he took a closer look at his best friend. He was immediately hit by how excited Armin was; his eyes were shinning but his furrowed brow spoke at how focused he was. Eren could practically feel the energy radiating off of Armin’s body. If he hadn’t been wearing a sweater vest, Armin might have even looked like he belonged there. 

It appeared that Levi felt the same way; he pulled at the ropes and climbed into the ring, walking over to Armin with a pleased expression on his face. “Never pegged you for a boxer kid, but I should know by now not to judge a book by it’s cover.” Eren could see a little color surface on Armin’s cheeks and he stuttered a ‘thank you’. 

Jean had one of the biggest smiles Eren had ever seen plastered on his face. “This kid as great potential, Levi. I keep telling him he needs to stick around…” 

Levi raised a brow at his partner, “You’d like that wouldn’t you.” 

Jean rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, “Yeah whatever, Levi. I figured since your little pupil over there is gonna be hanging around a lot, his friend Armin here could join him.” 

As Levi and Jean were talking, Eren noticed how Armin was fidgeting with the boxing gloves still strapped to his hands. The color in his cheeks hadn’t left yet and Eren was becoming increasingly curious. It had been a long time since Eren had seen Armin attracted to anyone, not since he came out in tenth grade and was teased relentlessly- until Eren put a stop to it and got suspended in the process. With Armin studying at the local college, Eren really had no idea if he had met anyone there. Then again, Eren hadn’t made much of an effort to find out a lot about his friend’s life. _Way to go, dick head…_

“What did Levi talk to you about?” 

Eren shrugged, taking a sidelong glance at his sister to see if she was still angry with him. “Like you don’t know.” 

Her only response was a shrug. “Levi has a good reputation at the local schools. School called me yesterday to let me know what Levi wanted to do and what I thought about it.” 

Eren nodded his head, watching as Jean walked over to Armin and began to take the gloves off his hands. The blush in Armin’s cheeks was rising in intensity again. “What did you say…?” 

Mikasa sighed, causing Eren to look at her with his eyebrows raised. “I said that I didn’t know what to do any more, and that I trusted Levi.” She looked at Eren and he was hit all over again by how tired she looked. He had a feeling it was all because of him. “You realize this is the last straw, right? Nobody has any other ideas. If you fuck this up…that’s it.” 

Suddenly Eren could feel the other’s looking at him, Jean and Armin had glanced in their direction when Mikasa’s voice became serious and Levi was leaning on the ropes watching. He looked down at the ground, picking at the dirt on the side of his shoe. “Yeah…I know…” 

Mikasa surprised Eren when she didn’t push it farther. She just nodded her head, said ‘okay’, and then left to go grab her gym bag. 

Eren watched her go as Levi climbed out of the ring and stood beside him, “So brat, you ready for this?” 

Releasing pent up air that Eren hadn’t even realized he’d been holding, he shrugged his shoulders. “I have to be, don’t I?” 

Levi chuckled, placing a hand on Eren’s shoulder. “You better be, cuz if anyone is gonna go easy on you…it won’t be me.” 

When Eren looked at him before he walked away back to his office, Eren could have sworn he saw a smirk on Levi’s face and gleam in his eyes that Eren wasn’t sure he should be afraid of or attracted to. 

“See you tomorrow, 3:00 sharp!” Levi called over his shoulder; the smirk could be heard in his voice. 

It was going to be a _really_ long semester. 


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has started his training at the Legion Studio and Levi is having trouble keeping his thoughts inside his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had absolutely no idea where this chapter was going when I started writing it, just kind of let the boys take it where they wanted it to go. A character even makes his way into the story that I never intended to be there, so there's that.
> 
> Want to point out now that I know nothing about kick boxing or muay thai- I simply find both techniques interesting and am learning things as I write. So hope it works out in the end.
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the kudos and the bookmarks!! Makes me so excited to know that people are enjoying it!
> 
> xx

It had been a week since Eren had agreed to his death sentence and he was currently wondering why the hell he had allowed Levi to tape his hands and wrists today only to be thrown on the mat repeatedly. Like he hadn’t had a bad enough day. 

He growled into the matt as Levi stood over him with his hands on his hips and a steel gaze making his grey eyes seem that much colder. “Don’t growl at me, you’re the one who was late.” Levi kneeled down beside his head, putting a strong hand on Eren’s shoulder. “And why were you late?” 

Narrowing his eyes at Levi, Eren was overcome by the need to punch him. This little back and forth conversation had been going on since Eren got there almost thirty-minutes late. Levi already knew why Eren was late but he liked to keep asking him, trying to drill it into his head or something. Like being thrown onto a not-so-soft matt every five minutes wasn’t pounding enough. 

Levi’s hand gripped his shoulder just a fraction tighter, grabbing Eren’s attention from his own thoughts. “I asked you a question, brat.” 

Eren’s hands curled into fists as he forced the words out of his mouth, “I got into a fight.” 

Levi’s small sarcastic looking smile that appeared on Levi’s lips almost made Eren see red. “Exactly. So we’re going to keep doing this until you can keep yourself off the matt for longer than a few seconds.” He stood up then, grabbing Eren’s shirt and hauling him up with him. 

As Levi walked a few paces away from Eren, picking up a water bottle that sat on the side of the mat, Eren watched his muscles move under his cut-off shirt and the way his Adam’s apple moved while he swallowed. _Christ, get a hold of yourself man! One minute you want to punch the shit out of him and the next you want to rip his clothes off. Make. Up. Your. Mind._

Choosing to try and make his mind focus elsewhere Eren asked, “Why haven’t you called the school?” It was a question that had been wracking Eren’s brain ever since he walked into the studio and had almost felt like going back to the fight would be better than dealing with how angry Levi seemed to be. Almost. 

Setting his water bottle back down, he turned to face Eren and raised a brow. “Frankly, I’m not sure. I should, considering you are not allowed to so much as look at another person wrong- but…” Levi shrugged as he walked closer to Eren, “It’s only been five days. I guess I think you deserve more of a chance.” Grey eyes met green ones and Eren was reminded all over again why he could never stay angry at Levi for long: those damn eyes could make him do anything. 

Levi broke the connection, looking over the studio before settling on another student practicing in the ring. “You just better hope your sister feels the same way.” 

Eren followed his gaze and watched Mikasa throw a few punches and kicks at the student in the ring with her- Eren thought her name was Annie. Mikasa had been livid when he had arrived at the studio, blood dripping from his nose. Eren suspected that if Levi hadn’t been there to stop her, Mikasa might have killed Eren then and there. 

Sighing, Eren brought his hands back up into a defensive position, “Yeah, alright let’s just do this.” 

Levi looked back at him with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips and a playful gleam in his eyes, “Ready to hit the mat again?” 

Eren narrowed his eyes, he could very well be digging his own grave for this comment, but he suddenly didn’t care, “Maybe in your fantasies.” 

The shock that overtook Levi’s face, even for just a moment, was enough for Eren to grab the upper hand. Although that didn’t even last long, despite Eren’s best attempts at over power him, Levi quickly re-gathered his composure and took Eren’s hands off his waist and knocked Eren’s legs out from underneath him. 

Levi put a knee on Eren’s chest as he leaned over him, “I can’t quite figure out how it’s possible that you can come out alive from a fight with a couple thugs, and yet you can’t seem to stay off the mat when it’s me.” Eren knew he should’ve said something- anything- to defend himself from that comment, but he was struggling with the need to breathe while Levi’s knee rested on his chest and a finger trailed down his neck, pulling the collar of his shirt down. 

~ 

_Way to go, idiot._ Levi watched as Eren walked to other side of the mat to retrieve his own water bottle, clearly still trying to gather himself after Levi’s little tease game. _Well that’s what he gets for that comment_ …Levi tried to reason with himself, but it wasn’t working very well. All week Levi had been trying to pull himself away from the brat and then he would go and do something- or say something- that would have Levi acting out his thoughts before he even noticed what he was doing. 

It was beginning to be a problem. _At least you haven’t kissed him again…yet_. Levi shook his head. No, not _yet_. There was no yet, there was never going to be another time. Not if the brat’s future was at stake. Levi tried to push away the unpleasant feeling that filled his stomach whenever he thought about how it could never happen again. _For fuck’s sake, he’s not even of age. Since when did you get off from a kid_? 

“You ready, Levi?” 

Levi looked up and found Eren back in the center of the mat, a slightly apprehensive but nonetheless focused look on his face. _He recovers quickly, I’ll give him that_. Levi shook himself mentally and walked over to Eren, his mind quickly going elsewhere and needing desperately to distract his mind. And body. 

As Levi reached two feet from where Eren was standing completely at ease, Levi could see Eren’s muscles suddenly bunch but even Levi was too slow to react before Eren threw his arms up and around Levi’s neck and shoulder, using Levi’s own body weight to spin him down and into the matt. A loud grunt escaped Levi as he hit the mat, the air from his lungs rushing out all at once. He suddenly remembered sparring with Jean way back when they were just kids and still not knowing how to use his size to his advantage. He had ended up on the mat many times back then, but there weren’t many times in recent memory where Levi landed on his back on a matt. At least not in this way. 

He turned his head and looked up at Eren whose knee was resting oh so softly on Levi’s chest, a smirk on the brat’s lips. “What were saying a bit ago, about me not being able to get you on the mat?” 

Gods all Levi wanted to do was kiss that damn smirk right off the brat’s face. Instead, he grabbed Eren’s thigh just above his knee and pushed, using the momentum to flip Eren onto his back. Levi set a hand on Eren’s chest and smiled at the kid’s shocked expression, “You’ll have to work much harder if you want to get me on the mat.” 

Despite the nagging going on inside his head repeating all of the facts that Levi knew should be in the front of his mind, he pushed them all back as he watched Eren’s shocked expression turn to one of barley contained desire, the kid’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to swallow. 

Before his mind could catch up with him, Levi took the hand off Eren’s chest and softly ran his thumb along Eren’s bottom lip, reveling in the way Eren’s breath hitched. “Much harder.” 

Without a second glance, Levi got off Eren and walked off the mat. “We’re done early tonight. I trust your sister can take you home without you getting into more trouble.” He spoke over his shoulder, not trusting himself to look back at the kid who was probably still laying on the matt trying to catch his breath. Levi did however catch Jean looking at him, a small smirk and a raised brow on his horse-like face. _Great…_

~ 

Levi tried to ignore the knock that came from his office door a half hour later. He knew Eren had gone home a while ago with his sister and his blond friend, so who the hell would be bugging him now? 

Without waiting for permission, Jean poked his head into the room and then his whole body followed. “Everyone’s gone home, need me to lock up?” 

Not even looking up from his computer screen, Levi grunted, “Don’t worry about, I’m gonna be down here for a while still.” 

A few moments passed before Levi realized he hadn’t heard Jean leave. He glanced up, and sure enough, Jean was sitting on the armrest of the chair in front of his desk. The same chair Eren had occupied earlier that week. “What?” he snapped, hoping that the venom in his voice would make his old friend get the hint. 

Too bad Jean had never been one to listen to him. “How’s Eren doing?” 

It was also painfully clear that Jean wasn’t good at being subtle either. Levi glared at him before turning his attention back to his computer screen. “He’ll be doing fine if he stays out of trouble like he’s supposed to.” 

“Does trouble include pushing your limits?” 

It was a good thing Jean was an old friend, or he would’ve just been punched so hard he never would’ve gotten back up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jean.” 

“Come on man, you know exactly what I’m talking about it. I don’t need to bring Erwin into this mess do I?” 

The look Levi gave Jean should’ve turned him to stone, as it was, Jean was too used to seeing that look to be worried about it. “No. You don’t.” 

Jean shrugged, but his gaze never left Levi’s, “I didn’t think so, but then again sometimes you do need a reminder to focus that brain of yours. So what’s going on with you and Eren?” 

Levi shut his laptop a little too harshly. Jean knew that bringing Erwin into any conversation within ear shot of Levi was just asking for trouble, but then again Jean had been around for the whole fiasco, so Levi guessed that bringing it up was Jean’s only way at making Levi realize how serious he was. “What’s going on with you and the blondie?” 

Jean raised an eyebrow, a smile growing on his face, “Armin? Oh nothing’s going on, yet anyway…but even if something was, he’s already eighteen. Eren isn’t.” 

Raising a hand to rub down his face, Levi sighed. “I know.” 

“He’s also your student, under your supervision so the damn kid doesn’t end up in jail- or worse.” 

Levi’s hand turned into a fist on the table top, in clear view of Jean. “I know”, he growled. Jean really needed to drop this whole damn conversation and go home already. 

Jean sighed, a hand rubbing the back of his neck, “Look man…I can see the way you look at that kid, and don’t try to deny it, I’ve seen that look on your face before. I just don’t want it blow all to shit again….the last time didn’t go so well-“ 

“I get it.” Levi stopped him before he could go any further into the past. Levi absentmindedly rubbed his bad knee, memories flooding back. Too tired and far too annoyed at himself to deal with Jean, Levi sighed. “I know what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. But Eren isn’t Erwin,” he said as he looked at his old friend, “and I realize what’s at stake, probably more than the brat does. I’m trying to make his future possible, not ruin it.” 

Jean nodded, concern on his face, “I know you are, I just don’t want you ruining your future in the process either.” 

A snort escaped Levi, “You mean the studio’s future?” 

Jean shrugged, but a small smile was tugging at his lips, “Hey now, this studio was possible because you hurt your knee and couldn’t fight any more. It wouldn’t have been if the truth had gotten out….” 

It wasn’t like Levi didn’t know that, or had thought about it plenty over the course of the past few months and he’d be lying if Eren hadn’t been making him think about the whole thing a lot more lately too. “I know that, which is why it never will. I’m not a dumb kid anymore Jean, stop talking to me like I’m one of your students.” 

Jean chuckled, “I know you’re not, frankly I don’t think you ever have been. But Eren is, even if he doesn’t think so.” Jean shrugged again as he stood up, stopping at the door, “I like him Levi, and I know you do whether you’ll admit it or not. Just…hold off for a while? The damn kid turns eighteen in two months, if you need release find it somewhere else until then.” 

Levi threw a pen at Jean’s head, missing him by an inch. “Get out, Kristchien. Worry about your own sex life and not mine.” 

He could hear Jean laughing as he left the back hallway and walked into the studio. _Fuck_ , was the only thought that repeated through Levi’s head as he leaned back in his chair, finally left alone with his thoughts. 

Although Levi was fairly certain he wasn’t an idiot any more, now that he was thinking about it, he could remember what it had felt like the first time. It had been just like this; that thought stopping, heart racing, body acting all on it’s own kind of thing. Back then, Levi had been the student but now he was the teacher and he wasn’t sure how the hell he was supposed to be both. Maybe he had never given Erwin enough credit. 

All week Levi had been battling with these thoughts and all week he had been failing. He was very quickly coming to the conclusion that no matter the situation that they may be in, Eren had an overpowering aura over him and there was little that Levi could do to not be affected. 

And he was beginning to realize that he didn’t want to back away from it. He had started to wait impatiently every day for school to be out so Eren would have to be there for three hours, wanted to get the kid worked up so he could really see how Eren’s body worked when he really tried. Today was just a taste of the kid’s potential and Levi couldn’t wait to unleash the rest of it. 

Somehow, he would just have to do it while keeping a safe distance. At least for the next two months. 

With groan Levi sunk lower in his chair, trying to figure out if this punishment was for Eren or for himself. 

~~ 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations between a number of different characters and a surprise at the end ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so sorry I skipped a week...almost 2...life just very busy and I had no time to barely breathe let alone write. I was also feeling rather stuck when it came to the storyline but I think I have it all figured out now!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading as always and I'd love to read your comments! :)
> 
> xx

“What do you mean you have a _date_?” Eren’s voice quivered with the strength it was taking him to keep his voice even and not raise a few octaves. 

Armin smiled shyly, “Jean wants to take me to dinner.” 

They were sitting in Armin’s car after a particularly rough session at the Studio and Eren was currently trying to decide if this was real or if Levi had hit him a little too hard with his last kick. 

“Don’t be weird about this, Eren.” Armin said before Eren was even able to open his mouth to make some sort of comment. Which he had been about to do, one that had something to do with a horse-faced idiot. 

“Me? Be weird about this? This is weird, Armin! He’s your instructor and plus he’s like five years older than you!” 

The dead expression Armin gave him made Eren think he was hanging around Levi too much. “He’s only three years older than me, actually. And I’ll be nineteen this year so that will make it only two.” The blond let out a huff of frustration, “I haven’t dated any one in months, Eren. And I really like Jean.” 

Looking out the car window with his arms folded, Eren tried to stay irritated- and even though he still was to an extent- the way Armin’s voice had softened at his declaration made it harder. Eren had hurt Armin enough by being a shitty friend…he didn’t want to hurt him more. 

With a sigh he closed his eyes briefly before looking back at his best friend, whose eyes were big and as bright as blue as ever. “Look…I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay? Jean is just-“ 

“You just don’t like him because he made me get into something you never thought I would do.” 

Eren closed his mouth tightly. _You’re too smart for your own good, damn it_. He didn’t even try to deny it because they both knew it was true. Mikasa and Eren had both been fighting- on different terms albeit- since they were kids, but Armin had never been interested in it. He had always been more content with his books and history stuff, so when Eren had suddenly seen Armin in a boxing ring with gloves on…yeah, it had made him a little pissed off. _Jealous you mean_ , said the voice in his head. 

He sighed again and shrugged, “Just be careful okay?” 

Armin gave him a small knowing smile, “It’s that usually supposed to be _my_ line?” 

With a snort, Eren grabbed for the car door, “Yeah whatever…see you tomorrow at the Studio.” 

Before he could climb all the way out of the car, Armin touched his arm lightly. He turned his head back, eyebrows raised in question. 

“How are things with you and Levi?” 

Eren groaned and stood up, leaning on the car door to look in at Armin, “We aren’t even going there tonight. Besides, we’ve been through this. I’m not eighteen yet and I can afford to fuck this whole thing up.” 

Armin gave a slight shrug, turning his attention back to the wheel, ready to pull away. “Being a certain age has never stopped you from doing something before.” 

Not knowing what to say- or if it would be safe to say anything at all- Eren shut the car door and Armin drove away without much of a second look back. 

~ 

“Fancy seeing you around here.” 

It took all of Eren’s strength not to visibly stiffen. As it was, he closed his eyes for a moment before turning around to face the voice. 

“What do you want, Reiner?” 

A tall blond guy who looked like he could break Eren in two like a twig stepped out of the shadows of the building. Eren momentarily wondered how far he would make it if he tried to run across the street to his building before he got caught. He’d learned the hard way that it wasn’t worth running, he had scars to prove it. Why had Armin driven off so damn quickly and not waited until he got inside like every other god damn time he had dropped Eren off? 

Reiner fanned hurt, placing one large hand over his heart, “You haven’t missed me? I’m crushed.” 

Eren couldn’t stop the snort from escaping. 

Eye narrowing, Reiner stepped closer to Eren and placed a hand on his shoulder, hand gripping so tight that Eren was sure it would leave bruises. 

His fists clenched around the strap of his backpack and at his side, his body starting to shake with the physical _need_ to punch this idiot right between the eyes. But he didn’t. _Even breaths through the nose_ he kept telling himself, hearing Levi’s voice in his head like the man was standing right beside his ear. 

“You haven’t been around very often, my boss is getting impatient. We had a deal.” 

Somehow Eren found his voice and locked eyes with Reiner, trying to convey every ounce of hatred into his stare. “We never had a deal. I never agreed to anything.” 

The hand tightened even more, the brown eyes looking down at him looking like they could kill. “That’s not how my boss remembers it. And if you like your little blond friend in one piece, you’ll remember it too.” 

Eren was pretty sure his heart had literally stopped beating for a minute, his lungs no longer taking in air and his blood no longer pumping. In all his years of doing stupid shit, never had he once brought Armin or Mikasa into the mess….and now, now when he was trying to straighten it all out, now when everything was so much more worse than it had been in eighth or ninth grade, they were going to stuck in the middle of it. 

No way was he going to let that happen. 

He grabbed Reiner’s wrist none too gently and ripped it off his shoulder. “Don’t bring him into this shit.” He spat his words through clenched teeth, trying to reign in his rising anger that was building up like a volcano. 

Reiner’s annoying smile had disappeared and the grim expression he was wearing now should’ve made Eren back off. But like hell he was going to be the one to back off. Levi could only influence his actions so much. 

“I’ll bring whoever the fuck I want to into this little mess you’ve created. And if means I get to mess up a pretty blond face in the process…” The sick smirk that appeared on Reiner’s face made Eren’s stomach twist. He could only image the ways Reiner would want to mess Armin up. 

The cap on the volcano was about to burst and Eren was none to happy to let it go. “You’ll never get the chance.” His fist was flying through the air before his brain had even consciously decided to throw it. It missed Reiner’s face by a centimeter as the tall blond moved out of the way just in time. 

But Eren was ready for him to evade him- he’d fought Reiner before and he had gotten better since then. His movements weren’t as sporadic as before, more controlled and thought out. Eren silently thanked Levi for that as he swept his leg out and caused Reiner’s legs to give out. It only gave Eren a few moments to catch his breath however before Reiner rolled over and was back on his feet, his eyes looking ready to murder Eren where he stood in a defensive position. 

Despite the training Eren now had over the past week, there was no way he could beat a guy like Reiner and he knew it. Their size difference was too great, even the move he had just been working on with Levi wouldn’t work- he’d likely break something if he tried that with Reiner. Eren made the mental note to get Levi to show him how to use someone’s body weight against them. He had been caught in thought one moment too long- Reiner came barreling at him and had him pinned against the brick wall of the building, his head hitting it with such force Eren saw stars for a moment before feeling the pain. _Shit_. 

Reiner held one fist in Eren’s shirt and the other beside his head that was beinning to throb uncontrollably. “You have three days to get a message to my boss or I get to do things you won’t be all to happy about. Keep that in mind.” 

He let go of Eren and turned around, walking back into the alley that he had come form but not before Eren lunged at him and got a good punch into his kidney. With a grunt Reiner spun around and before Eren could so much as register the punch coming at him, it hit him square on his collarbone and he swore he heard a crack. As he fell back onto the pavement, pain searing up his neck and down his spine, he was pretty sure that the crack he heard wasn’t just pebbles under his feet. 

Reiner looked at him kneeling on the ground, panting with his right arm pulled up against his abdomen, and snorted. “You’re pathetic.” 

Eren could hardly make out the figure of Reiner as he walked away, leaving him on the ground barely able to breath. He forced a couple slow and even breaths out of his lungs before he sat down on the sidewalk, trying to ignore the pain coming from his head and shoulder. With more effort than it should have taken, Eren pulled out his cell phone and hit the name in his favorites list without a second thought. He concentrated on breathing while the phone rang, pleading his head for him to _pick up the damned phone_. 

“What brat? Your friend throw you out half way home because he got tired of your mouth?” 

“You can call me whatever the hell you want for the rest of our lives, I don’t care.” He didn’t mean for those words to come out of his mouth, but it was too late to stop them now. He took a few steady breaths to try and calm the adrenaline still running through his body. 

“Eren…” Levi’s voice was even but there was a hint of concern in it, or at least Eren liked to think there was. “What’s happened?” 

“I need your help.” 

~ 

After Levi had yelled at Eren for the first five minutes of the drive back to the Studio, he still kept bugging Eren about calling Mikasa. 

“I can’t.” Eren said for the hundredth time. He couldn’t call Mikasa, even just knowing that she had been right across the street while the whole thing had happened made his stomach twist. He had promised her he wouldn’t get into any more trouble and look at him now. 

The risk of Mikasa getting stuck in the middle of it was a fear that Eren couldn’t let come true. 

Eren hissed as the car hit a particularly hard bump, causing pain to shoot up his neck. He saw Levi glance at him before looking back at the road, taking more care to miss any sort of unevenness in the road if he could help it. 

The road in silence for the rest of the way to the Studio, which was perfectly fine to Eren. He was silently trying to figure out why he had called Levi so hurriedly and not Armin, or why he hadn’t just gone across the street and into his apartment. But the answer was simple really, he realized more than once; he knew Levi could handle himself and the situation no matter how shitty it looked. Eren didn’t need his sister who would yell and be disappointed at him before turning around and leaving, not knowing what to say. He didn’t need his best friend who wouldn’t know the first thing to say or do but would look at Eren with those sad puppy dog eyes because he felt sorry for him. Eren didn’t need either of those people right now; he needed someone strong and capable. Someone who yeah might yell at him for hours and be just as disappointed but who would still try to help and figure out a plan of action. Someone who would take care of Eren when he couldn’t let the word get out that he had been in a fight. He needed Levi. 

And Levi knew it. Because even though he had yelled at Eren and wanted him to call Mikasa, he hadn’t turned the car around and hadn’t called her himself. Eren was suddenly thankful that Levi could read him like a book. 

When Levi pulled into the alley beside the Studio Eren finally relaxed, letting the tension in his muscles drip away. He gingerly climbed out of the car and headed for the door to the studio, hearing Levi lock the car behind him. 

“Go up those stairs.” 

Eren turned to look at Levi, his eyebrows raised in questions. 

Levi didn’t look like he was in the mood to be patient, and with a snort he pointed to the metal staircase that hung rather precariously on the side of the old brick building. “Go upstairs, I have to grab the first aid kit from the studio.” 

He didn’t say another word as he walked past Eren and unlocked the door to the Studio, disappearing inside. 

Of course Levi lived above the Studio, why hadn’t that occurred to Eren before? _Maybe because you weren’t supposed to think about where he lives_ , said the voice in his head. _Or sleep_ , which was more of the truth. Although he wasn’t feeling nearly as shaky as before, looking up at the stairs made him feel slightly queasy. With a deep breath and his hand firmly on the railing, he slowly started to make his way up the stairs, thankful that his legs hadn’t been damaged in the fight. 

He reached the top of the stairs just as Levi locked the door of the Studio. He tried not to glare at Levi as he jogged up the stairs with no apparent effort or pain. _Lucky him_. It was amazing how one fight could make every bone in your body hurt and your energy level almost none existent. 

~ 

With the first aid kit under his arm, Levi unlocked the door and walked into his apartment, trying not to think about the fact that he had the brat following behind him. 

Not that he hadn’t thought about having the brat in his apartment, because no matter how hard he had tried not to think about it, the brunette’s head always seemed to show up in his thoughts. These weren’t exactly the circumstances he had in mind, however. 

He heard Eren shut the door behind them as he set the first aid kit on the small island in the kitchen. When he looked over at the kid, his green eyes were scanning the apartment and suddenly looked more alive than they had outside on the stairs. Levi glanced back at his own apartment- it wasn’t extravagant by any means, just an open floor plan attic that had exposed pipes and beams on the ceiling, one bedroom that had been created with simple boards of plywood and curtains, and a bathroom that Levi had practically had to build by himself. But Levi supposed it was nicer than the one Eren and Mikasa were living in, which must have been why Eren was standing by the door like an idiot. _Yeah, that’s definitely the reason_. Apparently Levi couldn’t even get rid of the sarcasm in his head. 

“Go sit on the couch before you collapse.” He watched as Eren’s eyes focused on him again before slowly walking towards the couch in the middle of the room, his movements stiff and uncomfortable. Levi’s concern for the brat’s health reared its head again and his conscious told him for the hundredth time that he should’ve taken him to the hospital. But they both knew that would be too risky, his school was sure to find out that way. 

Grabbing a cotton cloth form the first aid kit and a bowl of water, Levi set them on the coffee table in front of him and Eren and turned to the face the boy. He was looking tired, worn out, and Levi couldn’t blame him one bit. He had actually been trying and progressing and now here he was set back yet again. 

Eren turned his green eyes on Levi and raised his brows into his bangs. Whatever question Eren had been thinking, it stopped in his throat when Levi carefully started to take his sweater off. Levi needed to see his collarbone better and his bulky zip up wasn’t helping. 

When Eren finally started to help Levi get the sweater off it became easier on both of them. Once it was laying across the back of the couch, Levi put his hands on either side of Eren’s biceps and motioned for him to turn towards him more. Eren’s skin raised goose bumps as his fingers touched them and it took all of his strength to not run his hands down the boy’s arms. Carefully, and as gently as he could manage, he ran his fingers along the boy’s collarbone, trying desperately to ignore the way Eren’s breath halted in his lungs. He glanced at Eren’s face to make sure he wasn’t hurting him, but when Eren’s eyes met his he knew he had made a fatal mistake. 

They were kissing before Levi knew what had happened. 

~ 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi have a heart to heart. Full ereri chapter for you ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since I feel guilty for not posting this on Monday- since I only wrote it Monday night- I'm posting it today for all you lovely people!
> 
> I hope you love the chapter as much as I do and I hope it all makes sense and flows well!
> 
> Thanks to my beta and bff WhimsyBitch for being an awesome person ;)
> 
> Enjoy!! xx

How many times had be tried to forget this feeling? Levi couldn’t even remember how many nights he laid awake, still feeling the pressure of Eren’s lips on his and here the brat was in his apartment with his wonderfully soft lips on his. 

One part of his brain kept trying to yell sense into him, make him remember that Eren was injured and this was no time to be making moves on him. Not to mention that no time at all was going to be the right time. 

But those lips…they halted the breath in Levi’s lungs, made his whole body comes alive like something had shocked him, every nerve ending singing. He had kissed his fair share of men before, but none of them, _no one_ , had ever made him feel this way. _Shit, you’re in too deep._

Just as his mind started to catch up to his actions, Eren’s uninjured hand found its way into Levi’s hair and his mind promptly shut up. The kid’s hand guiding their mouths together in a new angle and it took every fiber in Levi’s body not to moan into the brat’s mouth. But god did he want to. When Eren’s grip suddenly became tighter, Levi automatically brought a hand up to Eren’s neck to hold him just as tight. Too bad he hit Eren’s collarbone on his way there. 

Eren gasped from the pain and quickly leaned away, his body reacting automatically. Levi almost growled, whether at himself for his stupidity or at Eren for moving away, he wasn’t sure. 

When he looked up to apologize, his throat closed the minute he looked into Eren’s swimming green eyes. _Fuck, did I hurt him that bad_? He made a move to touch Eren’s collarbone again, to see if he had just inflicted any more damage but Eren moved away from his touch, his bottom lip trying hard not to quiver. 

Levi sat back and stared, he didn’t know what to do. Eren had never looked like he was going to cry, not right after getting beat up by two guys in an alley way and not when Levi had picked him up not long ago on the side of the street. He just slowly shook his head and opened his mouth to say…something, but Eren stopped him by speaking first. 

“Don’t apologize.” His voice was strained and near breaking, but his eyes had that determination in them that Levi loved so much. 

With a sigh and a hand through his hair, Levi looked back at Eren, “What are you talking about?” 

Eren stared right back at him, his eyes still swimming and his good hand clenched into a fist. “You were going to apologize, and not for hurting me. I don’t want you to apologize, I don’t want you to say anything.” His voice had grown stronger, deeper, the seriousness of what he was trying to get across was not lost on Levi. 

“Eren…” 

“No. Don’t ‘Eren’ me, like I’m a little kid.” He had nearly shouted and Levi almost leaned away from the force of it, he could practically see Eren’s body shaking at the kid stood up and started to pace in his apartment. “I don’t need you to treat me like a kid, okay? I’ve been treated like a stupid kid who can’t do anything right for my entire life!” All Levi wanted to do was going over to him and stop him from pacing, place his arms around him and make Eren stop shaking. But he didn’t, because some part of him was still thinking clearly and that part knew that Eren needed to get this out. 

“I’ve fucked up, _believe me_ , I know. But for once in my life I have something that feels _right_ and I’m not letting you take it away because you’re afraid!” He continued to pace along the length of the wall, the large window frame his body as it moved. Levi stood slowly and walked to the end of the couch, stopping when Eren glared in his direction. 

“What am I afraid of exactly?” 

Eren stopped moving, his back facing Levi. He took a deep breath before turning his body and setting his impossibly green eyes on Levi, who had to suppress a shiver from his stare. “Me. You’re afraid of me. Because you have feelings for me, don’t even try to deny it! I know you do.” 

Levi let out a breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding, slowly shaking his head he looked at Eren with sad eyes, “It doesn’t matter kid…it’s not exactly legal.” 

The snort Eren let out explained his thoughts on that statement. “What have I ever done in my life that was legal?” 

_He has a point_ … _no, no we can’t go down this road…_ Levi groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, “Eren that’s not the point. I’m too old for you, I’m not ruining your entire future because of some…feelings…” 

Eren’s face changed, if it could’ve fell to the floor it would have. The fire behind his eyes disappeared and all Levi wanted to do was backtrack so that fire would come back. “Ruin my future? You’re making a future possible. Without you…” Eren shrugged, leaning his head back on the windowpane, “…I wouldn’t have a future without you.” 

Levi took a step towards him, just to brush the hair out of the brat’s eyes. Just to make his eyes light up again. Just to touch him. Just to…to be there. But he stopped short by an arm’s length and looked at the boy in front of him. Could he really do this? Could he let Eren make the same mistake he did when he was around his age? Would he even be okay with himself if he did that to Eren? It was stupid even answering his own questions because he knew the answers already, weeks ago he knew the answers. _Yes,_ he could and it would all worth it if he just got to hold Eren for a little bit longer. Keep the brat in his sorry excuse for a life just a little longer. 

Gently, he brushed Eren’s bangs out of his eyes. Eren casted his gaze over at him, so many emotions swirling in the sea of green; pain, fear, a hint of that determination and something else that Levi didn’t allow his brain to put a word to it. After a moment, Eren leaned into Levi’s touch and his whole body relaxed in an instant, his breathing slowing back down to normal and his fist unclenching for the first time since his outburst started. 

Without allowing himself to think about it first, Levi leaned his forehead against Eren’s and closed his eyes, just breathing in the scent of him and enjoying the closeness. Reluctantly breaking the silence, Levi leaned away, his hand still on Eren’s cheek. “Come back and sit down, please? I need to take a look at your head…” 

Eren gave a small nod into Levi’s palm and allowed himself to be led back to the couch. 

~ 

Levi had been right, Eren’s head had started to bleed again thanks to his little outburst. Eren tried really hard to not feel guilty about it, but here he sat in the bathroom with a towel now stained in his blood and Levi’s glare still fresh in his mind after he had taken his hand away from Eren’s head and saw blood. 

“You’re lucky you don’t need staples, then we would have to go to the hospital.” Levi said as he walked back into the bathroom, rubber gloves on his hands and more clean cotton pads in his hands. 

Eren decided it was best not to voice his sarcastic remark that had almost made its way up his throat. Instead, he figured it was best to act like a good boy for once in his life and shut up. 

Levi’s hand appeared in front of his face, a small glass of juice in his grasp. Eren followed the arm and looked at its owner with raised eyebrows. 

“Drink it, your body will need the sugar.” Eren let Levi take the towel from the back of his head so that he could take the glass in his good hand. He saw Levi roll his eyes before putting the bloody towel in the sick with a look of disgust. Eren couldn’t help but smirk behind his glass. For a fighter, Levi didn’t quite like dealing with blood. 

Once Eren had finished the glass of juice, feeling slightly like he might puke, he set the glass down. Levi came to kneel in front of him them, bandages in his hand. “I’m going to have to bandage your head for the night, hopefully the bleeding will stop with the pressure and we won’t have to go to see someone about it tomorrow.” 

Eren nodded, not meeting Levi’s eyes. His brain had chosen to focus on the “we’s” in Levi’s words and he hadn’t really caught anything else he had been saying. 

Standing once more, Levi leaned around Eren and began to roll a white bandage around his head, tight enough to hold the cotton pads in place. Eren tried not to grimace at Levi worked, he seemed so focused on trying to not hurt Eren that he didn’t want to let on that it did hurt. Levi knew anyway though, muttering at least two apologies while he worked. 

Trying to take his mind off the bandage going around his head, Eren decided to try and get Levi to talk. The conversation wasn’t going to be any fun now or later. He started to fiddle with the cotton cloth sling that his other arm was trapped in. “So are you still going to apologize?” 

Levi’s movements stalled for a moment before continuing. “I haven’t decided yet.” His voice was soft but guarded and Eren knew he couldn’t leave it alone. 

“Is it because of Erwin?” 

This time, Levi’s movements stopped completely and Eren was pretty sure he almost dropped the bandages. “What?” was his harsh reply. Eren sat silently, waiting for Levi to finish wrapping his head. A moment later, after a deep growl, Levi finished wrapping the bandages and walked out of the bathroom without a second glance back at Eren. 

Steeling himself for whatever might happen, Eren left the bathroom and found Levi washing his hands in the kitchen sick. Ferociously might be a good word to use here, but Eren decided to watch Levi’s back muscles work rather than how hard he was washing his hands. 

When Levi felt that his hands were apparently clean enough, or raw enough in Eren’s opinion, he dried them on a towel and slowly turned around to face Eren. The fire in his grey eyes almost making Eren go weak at the knees. 

“How did you find out?” Was his only question, his hands laid flat on the even surface of the island. With only a couple feet between them, Eren could smell Levi’s cologne and that alone steeled his nerves enough to talk again. 

“I was curious…I looked you up online, I wanted to know your fighting history.” Eren shrugged his good shoulder, “You told me to look up fights online….” 

Levi groaned, “I didn’t mean _mine_.” 

Again, Eren shrugged. “There was an article, just one, and it was more of a gossip column than anything…” he knew he was trying to make the conversation better than it was, but Levi’s glare directed at him made him stop trying. He looked at the counter for a moment before continuing; “It said there was speculation that you were having a relationship with your coach…it didn’t get into details….” 

Levi snorted, running a hand threw his hair, “Not likely, since they didn’t have any.” 

Eren chanced a glance over at Levi, chewing his bottom lip before he spoke, “So you were…?” 

Levi sighed but looked over at Eren without glaring, that was a good sign. “Do you think I did?” 

“Yeah, I do.” Eren shrugged again, “Would explain why you would be so against…us…” He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks and prayed to every fucking god out there that it was noticeable. Levi smirked. It was noticeable. 

“Us, huh?” Eren looked away, playing with his sling again. He heard Levi sigh before moving around the island to sit on the stool beside Eren. He didn’t look up until he felt Levi’s hand on his knee. 

He looked down at the hand before looking up at Levi, his eyebrows raised into his hairline. Levi smiled a small smile, one that Eren wasn’t sure he had ever seen before but hoped he could see it again, “I’m not _against_ it…I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.” 

Eren rolled his eyes, unable to stop a smile from creeping onto his lips, “Oh, right, like we’re so much alike.” Levi snorted and rolled his own eyes, muttering a ‘brat’ under his breath. Eren smiled at him, sighing before saying, “Look Levi…I’ve made enough mistakes in my life to know when I shouldn’t do something, and I don’t feel that way about this. Could we just leave the mistake making up to my own stupidity and not worry about it?” 

Levi barked out a laugh, “Oh right, like your stupidity hasn’t had me worried enough the past couple of weeks.” 

Eren hoped his smile came off at cheeky as he thought it did. But when Levi’s smile faded and he sighed, Eren covered the hand still on his knee and held on to it. “Come on Levi…if I fuck any part of this up, my future is shot anyway…with you around, at least I have a chance.” 

Levi’s hand turned under his and grasped his own, their fingers awkwardly intertwining at a weird angle. “Your future will be whatever you want it to be…I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.” 

Eren smiled down at their hands, feeling warmer and safer than he had in a long time. “But you’re wiling to try anyway…?” 

Levi chuckled and Eren wished he could listen to the sound for the rest of his life. Levi’s other hand on his cheek made him look up again, finding that Levi was leaning much closer to him than he had been before. “I don’t know brat…but I think it’s pretty clear that fighting…this…isn’t going well for either of us.” 

Leaning into Levi’s hand, Eren never knew he would love the sound of ‘brat’ so much but coming from Levi’s lips made it the best word in the world. A sigh escaped his lips when Levi’s were suddenly but oh so softly on his, and suddenly everything that had happened that night fell away. The ache in his head was gone; the throbbing of his shoulder just magnified the beating of his heart. Nothing mattered and everything was perfect, as long as Levi’s hand was in his and their lips were touching…Eren could handle anything thrown at him if he could just stay like this forever. 

~ 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Armin show up at Levi's and Levi thinks he's solved Eren's problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the new chapter!! I'm not very happy with it but my beta says it's good so here you are! I plan for the next chapter to be the last one, but we'll see how it goes!
> 
> I also have two other one shots to post after Chapter 10 is completed, so we're not quite done with the Bind Together world :)
> 
> Hope you like the chapter!  
> xx

Even though he knew his body was awake and ready to start the day, Levi didn’t dare move. He didn’t even dare to open his eyes for a while in the fear that when he did, Eren would no longer be laying beside him. 

But once he did open his eyes, he was unable to look at anything other than the sleeping boy curled into his side. Eren’s hair hung over his closed eyes, his bangs blowing out every few seconds when he exhaled. The sling was still holding his injured shoulder and arm tight to his body but it seemed that he had finally been able to find a comfortable position and fell asleep. His good hand laid beside him, caught between the bed and the underside of Levi’s stomach. He sighed in his sleep and Levi could just make out a small smile appearing on the kid’s lips. 

_Look what you’ve done, idiot. You let him in…_ The nagging voice started to creep back into Levi’s head as he watched Eren sleep, but for once it didn’t bother Levi all that much. Seems that some of the words the brat had said the night before had gotten to him. A lot of things were fucked up in this world and in their lives right now, but Levi knew without a shadow of doubt that no matter what happened he wouldn’t leave Eren unless it was what Eren wanted. And Levi prayed to whatever gods out there that the kid would never want to get rid of him. 

“You’re staring.” 

Levi couldn’t help but smile when he heard the barely audible mumble come from Eren’s beautiful lips. He also couldn’t help gently moving the bangs out of the kid’s face and being stunned all over again by the brilliant green orbs that had captured his soul. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this relaxed since I met you.” 

Eren yawned so big that Levi was sure he could’ve swallowed an entire apple. He cringed slightly when the stretch he had just begun hurt his shoulder, his body going very stiff for a moment before slowly relaxing again. Levi’s brows furrowed in concern but the moment Eren looked back at him and Levi saw that there was no pain in his eyes, he sighed and gently placed his hand over Eren’s. 

“I don’t think I’ve slept that good in…well, I don’t remember really.” Eren was looking down at their hands as he spoke and Levi was drawn to the piercing in his right ear. It had been a topic of a number of arguments since the brat had started his training- an earing was a good way to lose half an ear in a fight- but the little gold stud suddenly didn’t seem nearly as offensive. 

Levi squeezed Eren’s hand gently and offered a small, and almost sad, smile. “No one could really blame you for not sleeping well…but I promise, we’re going to sort this all out and then you’ll be able to sleep just fine.” 

The trust in Eren’s eyes could’ve crushed Levi if the strong hand now holding his didn’t offer him so much strength. “I know we will…” was the small reply, while Eren just kept looking at their hands with a small smile on his lips. 

They stayed that way for a while, just holding each other’s hands and being near, before Levi could tell that Eren’s body was getting even more stiff the longer they lounged in bed and knew he had to get him up and moving around. Suppressing his own groan of disapproval, Levi forced himself out of the bed and gently pulled a complaining Eren out with him. 

“Can’t I just stay in bed all day? No one will notice…it’s Saturday…” Levi had to turn away to hide the smile, Eren’s pleading voice hadn’t even sounded very much like the brat thought it could get away with staying in bed all day. 

“No, you need to move around before your body gets any more stiffer. And I need to check your head and shoulder again.” He said as they walked into the kitchen to turn the kettle on. He stopped in front of the fridge, trying to remember if he had eggs or not when Eren sat down at the island with his phone in his good hand. 

“Shit…Mikasa is going to _kill_ me.” He actually sounded genuinely scared, Levi had to give him credit for that. Mikasa could, as a matter of fact, likely kill both of them without leaving any evidence behind. Luckily, Levi had thought of that already. 

“No she won’t, although I can assume she also won’t be happy.” Eren gave Levi a questioning look, his phone still grasped tight in his hand. “I texted her last night after you fell asleep. No, before you ask she wasn’t exactly happy and was ready to drive over here herself but it was past 2am and you had finally fallen asleep.” 

Eren looked back at his phone, no doubt seeing a number of text messages and probably a few missed calls, and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. Levi had to shake his head to refocus before he leaned over the damn counter to kiss that worried look off the brat’s face. 

“Did you tell her?” 

Levi glanced over at Eren, placing the eggs that luckily had been in the fridge on the counter before crossing his arms over his chest. “I told her the minimum and that you’d be fine. It took some reminding that we couldn’t exactly take you to a hospital for her to stop yelling…but she calmed down a bit.” 

Eren snorted and put his head in hand, “A bit. Right.” 

Sighing, Levi started to crack eggs into a bowl. “Why don’t you give her a call…before she calls you in a rage that you haven’t called her?” 

Eren grumbled loudly and Levi was left trying to figure out when in the hell grumbling became cute as Eren moved to sit on the couch, his phone pressed to his ear and a very apprehensive look on his face. 

~ 

“You still could’ve at least called me.” 

Eren groaned, his head sitting in his hands. Armin and Mikasa had shown up at least thirty minutes ago and she had probably said that one statement at least five times. Eren was beginning to go mad. “I know, okay? I know. I just…” He spoke through his hands but looked up at Levi in the kitchen when he couldn’t find the right words. What had he meant to say? That he didn’t want to get her involved? That would be partially true. Or would he say that he honestly hadn’t even thought about what he was doing, his fingers had worked on their own accord and had called the one person who he had _needed_ in that moment? Neither option would have made Mikasa any happier. So instead of finishing his sentence, he just looked over at Levi for the support he needed and when Levi’s eyes met his, he suddenly didn’t feel like he was drowning any more. 

“Be glad I texted you.” Levi said as he looked at Eren, cleaning his hand son a towel almost absentmindedly. “You could’ve just been left out of the loop.” 

Mikasa glared at him but didn’t say anything else. She had already said everything she needed or wanted to say to Levi the moment her foot had crossed into the apartment. 

Armin sat on the couch beside Eren, his face apprehensive and his bottom lip pulled between his teeth. 

Eren tried to hold the sigh in but only barley succeeded. “I’m fine Armin…I told you. I’m going to be fine.” 

He let out a very exasperated sigh, his hands clenched in his lap. “I know…but what about next time? What are we supposed to do about these guys? They aren’t going to give up…” 

Eren wished he had a response to that, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else since he had woken up that morning in the safety of Levi’s arms. Aside from the ever present urge to kiss him of course… 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

Every turned to look at Levi, surprise and curiosity evident on all of their faces including Eren’s. 

Eren raised a brow, “Um…incase you forgot, I have a bounty on my head.” 

Levi snorted, “Like I could forget.” He turned back to the meal he was trying to prepare for them all before looking over his shoulder at Eren. “I said don’t worry about it. I called an old friend.” 

Eren had a sinking feeling that he knew what old friend Levi was talking about. 

~ 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A person from Levi's past shows up and everything is cleared up far too easily for Eren to believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!! I hope you've been having a good start to spring wherever you may be, I've been super busy lately and haven't had much time to just chill- or write for that matter.
> 
> Here's the new chapter! As I was writing it I decided that I couldn't just end it in this chapter, even though this chapter closes is a nice way. So I will be writing another little "extra" chapter for both my sanity and your enjoyment :)
> 
> I sincerely hope I didn't let anyone down with this story, some thing just ended up not being as such a big deal as the story went on and I'm just nervous some of you won't agree with my decisions. But hey, that's what being a writer is all about I suppose!
> 
> I want to sent out a huge THANK YOU to kuroko99 for all of the wonderful comments and the love!! Seriously made me remember why I love to write so much, so thank you for that <3
> 
> Okay, enough blabbing on my part...Onto the chapter!! xx

It had been a week- a horribly stressful, looking-around-every-corner, trying to not get killed- week, and Eren was more than happy to see the weekend. 

He had spent almost every minute that he wasn’t at school either in the studio or in Levi’s apartment with Armin and Mikasa, trying to not get killed or kidnapped or beaten up. No matter how much Eren loved Armin and Mikasa, he was beginning to go mad. He _needed_ time alone, or time alone with Levi if he was being truthful with himself. They had barely had any time alone in the past week, not to talk or even just be in each other company and it was beginning to show on both of their faces. 

Levi snapped at Connie in training today and Jean had to come to the poor kid’s rescue. Levi may not be known for his kindness but he never out right snapped at his students. It was because of that that Eren was now sitting in Levi’s office- with the door thankfully closed- and they finally had a few minutes to talk alone. 

Well, if Levi would get off the phone with the bank anyway. 

Eren sat on the edge of Levi’s desk, his one foot resting on the chair beside Levi’s thigh. He still wasn’t sure if Levi had any knowledge of his hand resting on Eren’s calf or if it had just been a reflex. Whatever it was, Eren was almost scared to breathe incase Levi moved his hand. 

Not only had they barely spoken alone in a week, they sure hadn’t touched much, or kissed. Mikasa was like an eagle when she wanted to be and Eren was _this close_ to kicking her out back to her own apartment. Gang members be damned. If Eren had to sleep on the damned floor one more night… 

Levi’s hand tightened on his ankle and when Eren looked back at him, the cool gray eyes were smiling at him, the phone no longer at his ear. Eren could feel his ears turning red at being caught red handed totally zoned out. “Sorry…” he mumbled. 

Fingers ran up his calf and back down, a smile tugging at Levi’s lips. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately.” 

Eren shrugged and tried desperately to ignore the heat on his calf that was running dangerously close to his thigh. “Had a lot on my mind.” 

The smile falters and the hand stills on his ankle again. Levi is silent again and Eren decides he wants to keep hearing Levi’s voice. It sounds so different in his office, with no one else around. “I think we’ve both had a lot on our minds.” 

All he gets out of Levi is a grunt before there’s a knock at the door. 

Eren turns his upper body around to see Jean poke his head in, his expression less than happy. “Someone’s here to see you, Levi…and you too, Eren.” He leaves again before saying anything else or before Eren can ask him anything, the door shutting behind him. 

When Eren turns back to Levi, he’s stood up and is standing right in front of Eren, his eyes focused and his hands coming to rest on Eren’s knees. 

“You trust me right?” 

Taken slightly aback by the sudden question, Eren shakes his head slightly in confusion. “Of course I do…you know that…?” 

Levi nods his head, his hands clenching ever so slightly on Eren’s knees, sending an involuntary shock up his spine. Even though Eren is fairly certain he knows who has finally shown up, his stomach is making very uncomfortable cartwheels because Levi just seems so _off_. He’s about to say something when Levi leans forward and kisses him. 

He’d almost forgotten how soft Levi’s lips were, soft but strong all at the same time. They had barely shared any kisses in the last week and this one spoke volumes. Suddenly Eren realized how immensely he had _missed_ Levi, this Levi. The Levi that no one else ever got to see. The Levi that had been so carefully controlled over the last week with Armin and Mikasa _always_ around. But there was something else about this kiss that only continued to get deeper, Eren’s hands finding Levi’s hair and Levi’s hands moving up Eren’s thighs and around his lower back. This kiss made Eren both apprehensive about leaving that office and so confident that he thought he might be able to fly. 

He wasn’t ready when Levi gently pulled away, resting his forehead against Eren’s, his eyes still closed. Eren sighed into his touch and brought a hand up to his cheek, smiling when those beautiful gray eyes finally opened. 

“You ready for this?” Levi asked, his forehead still touching Eren’s. 

Eren smiled a little, running his fingers along Levi’s cheek, “Are you?” 

A chuckle escaped those beautiful lips as Levi leaned away, one hand moving back to Eren’s knee. “That was for you, you had a little deer-in-the-headlights kind of thing going on.” 

Eren rolled his eyes but slid off the desk to follow Levi to the door. “Right, and what was it supposed to say to me?” 

The door half open, Levi already beginning to step out, he turned around and leaned close to Eren’s ear and whispered, “That you’re _mine_ and that I’m _yours_.” 

Eren stood still for a moment as Levi opened the door completely, finding himself both turned on and immensely warm inside from Levi’s words. It was the way Levi could make one part of his words sound so intense and possessive and then the next words could come out so soft that Eren could barely hear them that made Eren melt in every possible way. 

He was done for. 

~ 

Well, Eren had to give it to Erwin- he sure knew how to not age a damn day. The photos online that Eren had seen of the old instructor has been at least a good five years old and yet those photos didn’t look any different than the man standing five feet in front of him. He tried hard to ignore this fact as Erwin stood talking to Levi, a small smile tugging at his lips and his rather large arms crossed over his chest. 

Eren couldn’t possibly see why Levi had actually _liked_ this guy. 

“Oi, brat. Going to stand over there all day?” 

Shaking his head to get rid of whatever thoughts might have been creeping in, or the jealousy that he knew deep down he had no need for, Eren sighed quietly before closing the space between himself and Levi- and Erwin. 

And the guy just kept on smiling. Seriously, it was beginning to be slightly creepy. 

“Eren, I’m pleased to meet you.” He stuck out his hand for Eren to shake and it only took the kid a moment to extend his own hand, giving the best and firmest handshake he’d ever given in his life. “Levi’s told me quite a lot about you.” 

Eren raised a brow in Levi’s direction but only received a shrug in response. “I would hope it would be good things, but then we wouldn’t be standing here would we?” 

Erwin chuckled, eyes positively shinning down at Eren. He glanced at Levi before raising a brow in Eren’s direction, “No, I suspect we wouldn’t be.” 

It was silent for a moment before Erwin pointed to Eren’s shoulder, no longer tide tight to his body. “How’s that collar bone doing?” 

Eren glanced down at his arm, unconsciously held against his body across his stomach. He shrugged his other shoulder, “It’s not bad. It’s better when I’m not forced into a straight jacket.” Eren smirked at Levi when he said the last part. 

Levi snorted, “Right, and all I would need would be to wake up in the middle of the night to you crying out in pain because you re-broke it.” 

Eren rolled his eyes as he heard Erwin chuckle. When he glanced back at the tall blond he was surprised to see a different smile on the man’s face. It was no longer huge and almost cheesy, it had been toned down to something smaller and his eyes shone with a different light. Eren probably would’ve kept looking at his almost saddened face but then Levi interrupted his train of thought. 

“Should we go speak in my office?” 

Whatever reverie Erwin had been in was broken and he gently shook his head. “No need, I don’t need to stay all that long.” 

Eren started and looked up at him, “What do you mean? What about my problem? I kind of have a bounty on my head.” 

Erwin chuckled again, “Yes, I’ve been told.” He smiled down at Eren and placed a gently hand on his good shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, it’s all taken care of.” 

Eren opened to his mouth to speak but nothing came out, he looked at Levi for help but Levi was already looking at Erwin with his brows pulled together. 

With his hand still on Eren’s shoulder, Erwin shrugged. “I took care of it first thing this morning, thought I would stop by anyway. When else would I get the chance to see Levi’s new studio…” He looked at Eren when he said the word ‘studio’ and it didn’t go unnoticed by Levi who ‘tsk’ed but didn’t say anything. 

“It’s…you mean it’s all over?” Eren knew he probably sounded like a kid, his voice suddenly small and slightly scared that Erwin was joking, but for once he didn’t care about sounding young. He was young and his whole fucking future resting on the very broad shoulders of Erwin Smith. If he was being honest with himself, he was fucking terrified. 

Erwin’s eyes softened and the hand still on Eren’s shoulder squeezed ever so slightly. “Yes. Those thugs won’t be bothering you or your friends ever again. Not if they know what’s good for them.” The hand left Eren’s shoulder then and Erwin took a step back, sticking his hands in his pockets. “They won’t come within a mile of this place either if they want to stay on my good side…” 

Eren’s mouth, still hanging open, suddenly found that it could work again. “But…how? How could it be that easy…?” 

“Everyone had their price, Eren. It wasn’t hard to figure out what those people would take to give this all a rest.” 

Wait. Erwin had paid them money? How much money could they have possibly have wanted to leave this all alone? “But…” 

“Eren.” Erwin’s voice was kind but it held a hint of sterness, one that Eren was sure he had used for years while teaching shitty kids like himself. “I don’t want you to worry about it. Your job from here on out is to graduate high school, with a high G.P.A. in my opinion, and to focus on your training here.” He smiled again, and his eyes shone in an almost fatherly way in Eren’s opinion. “Understood?” 

It literally took every fiber in Eren’s body to not open his mouth and push for more information. He only nodded his head because he figured he would be able to get the information from Levi sooner or later. He hoped anyway. 

Erwin smiled that big toothy smile again, “Good.” He turned back to Levi and his smile never changed at all, except his eyes seemed to soften. “Levi…you’ve done well. I would’ve expected nothing else.” 

Levi snorted, “Like I need your approval old man.” 

“No, you sure don’t.” Erwin let a breath out of his nose before glancing back at Eren. He kept his eyes on Eren but spoke to Levi. “Take care of him. He could be going places you know, he’s got real talent.” 

“I know.” Levi’s voice was harsh as ever, but there was a slight warning in the tone as well. It was that warning that made Eren look away from Erwin and to Levi, sneaking his hand from where it hung at his side and placing it on the small of Levi’s back. 

With a slight sigh, Levi’s whole body relaxed. “And don’t worry. I will.” 

Erwin watched them for a moment, a small smile still sitting on his lips before he slowly nodded his head. “I’ll be watching your career with great interest, Eren.” He said as he began to turn away and walk towards the door. He only stopped briefly as he opened the door to look back at Levi and Eren, still standing with his hand on Levi’s back. The door shut behind Erwin and the last thing Eren saw of the man that had stepped out of Levi’s past was his brilliantly bright smile. 

~ 

A hand on his arm brought his attention back to the present and he turned to see Levi standing beside him with a question in his eye. 

“What?” Eren asked quietly, wondering what he had done now. 

Levi kept looking at him in a scrutinizing manner, “You look worried.” 

Eren shrugged, choosing to look down at Levi’s hand still on his arm versus Levi’s strong gray eyes. “I guess I am…what happens now? I mean according to Erwin my track record is clean from this point forward if I don’t fuck up again…but how do we know that for sure? It seemed way too easy…” 

Levi’s hand squeezed his arm gently, causing Eren to look back up and see that Levi’s eyes have softened. “You trust me, right?” 

Eren nodded his head without hesitation, “Of course…” 

Levi nodded his head in turn. “Good, then trust me that Erwin has everything taken care of. He wouldn’t say it’s over if it wasn’t.” 

Eren nods his head again, absentmindedly realizing that he’s been doing a lot of that, but also doesn’t have enough brainpower right now to care. He looks down again, studying the floor of the studio. “So what happens now?” 

“You graduate high school, that’s what. On the honor roll if I have anything to do about it.” 

Eren looks up, shock evident on his face even though he tries to hide it. “You mean…I’m staying here? In the studio?” 

Levi rolls his eyes and half-heartedly hits Eren over the back of the head, “You kidding idiot? Think I’d kick you out back onto the street now that your trouble is over?” Levi only gives Eren a moment to open his mouth before glaring at him with not much venom in his gray eyes, even though Eren bets he was trying to make it harsher. Without a moment’s hesitation, Levi places both hands on either side of Eren’s face, “I’m not letting you go that easily, brat.” 

Eren knew that he should care that everyone in the studio had stopped what they were doing to look in their direction, if even for just a moment, but he couldn’t bring his mind to care. He hadn’t realized how much fear had built up in his heart over the past few weeks that Levi would kick him out after it was all over until now. Having Levi stand in the middle of the studio with his hands on Eren’s face and so much care in his eyes was enough to make Eren’s knees go weak. 

“Really?” He knew his voice sounded weak, but his throat had closed up on him and he couldn’t seem to make it work properly. 

A small smile tugged at Levi’s lips and his thumbs moved gently on the sides of Eren’s cheeks. “Really.” 

Much later in the future, Eren would remember this moment in slow motion at the most random moments. Like sitting in a coffee shop with Levi, waiting for him to bring their drinks over. While sitting on Levi’s couch trying to study for finals but failing miserably and watching Levi cook dinner instead. While standing up on stage to give his salutatorian speech and only seeing Levi in the crowd. 

But in that moment, all Eren could think about was the feel of Levi’s lips on his and the warmth rising in his chest and filling his every nerve. And in that moment, Eren was pretty sure this feeling would be all he would ever need. 


End file.
